"You don’t get the same buzz and energy packing dog food eight hours a day but it pays the bills.” The people suffering most in the music business are those that didn't have a lot in the first place, reports Ian Birrell.
After more than a decade in the music business, Georgia Barnes was on the brink of stardom at the start of this year. Her effervescent live shows, featuring the curly-haired singer standing with drum pads, cymbals and synthesisers, were winning rave reviews while her second album — described by one critic as a “bold British hymn to hedonism” — was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Then along came the pandemic, which was utterly disastrous for the music industry and forced the scrapping of dozens of shows that filled her diary until the end of next year.
“It was really devastating,” she said. “I was very low for a couple of weeks. I was just at that stage of going from one level to another level, so it’s been very disappointing not to be able to play. But instead of slumping into my sadness I went into my studio and it’s been a really productive time, with all this sudden space to write new work.”... Keep reading on UnHerd
After more than a decade in the music business, Georgia Barnes was on the brink of stardom at the start of this year. Her effervescent live shows, featuring the curly-haired singer standing with drum pads, cymbals and synthesisers, were winning rave reviews while her second album — described by one critic as a “bold British hymn to hedonism” — was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Then along came the pandemic, which was utterly disastrous for the music industry and forced the scrapping of dozens of shows that filled her diary until the end of next year.
“It was really devastating,” she said. “I was very low for a couple of weeks. I was just at that stage of going from one level to another level, so it’s been very disappointing not to be able to play. But instead of slumping into my sadness I went into my studio and it’s been a really productive time, with all this sudden space to write new work.”... Keep reading on UnHerd