The folk-pop troubadour whose given us smash hits like 'Budapest', 'Shotgun' and 'Hold My Girl', George Ezra is a charismatic singer-songwriter who's never been afraid to admit to fault, nor shy away from bettering his own self-admitted nihilistic tendencies.
With the recent release of his third studio album, 'Gold Rush Kid' sees Ezra at his most vulnerable, most colourful, and most resolved yet.They say three is the magic number, and when George's effort is observed by NME as an artist '[transcending] the idea that relief can only ever be fleeting' or heralded as 'wide-armed and open-hearted' by The Independent, even 'faithfully [sticking] to his feel-good formula' by the Evening Standard, it's suffice to say George has hit the sweet spot.
So too was his fans' support instrumental in the album's success, and when 'Gold Rush Kid' landed at number one on the UK album charts, George acknowledged them on his Facebook saying: "I am so grateful to be a part of this and am going to busy myself with living in the feeling for the rest of the day."
Album number three could only come as a culmination of George's prior efforts, both professionally and personally. From his first artistic movements in 2013, George's wonderfully weird humour and syrupy baritone captured the hearts of legions of devoted fans.
His 2014 debut album, 'Wanted On Voyage', saw the middle-class music school dropout paint the first brushstrokes on a canvas that would end up boasting huge popularity. That canvas became a mural with the release of sophomore offering 'Staying At Tamara's' in 2018.
Of course, the run-up to 'Gold Rush Kid' – an album George had originally intended on writing during a coast-to-coast walk of the UK – was marred by London's COVID-19 lockdowns.
Isolated and forlorn, it was that extended moment of seclusion in the now 29-year-old's life that made him realise how dearly he valued community. That ultimately saw him move home to the English county of Hertfordshire – a change that suited him well, and contributed to the themes of contentment we hear on his latest release.
That contentment, mind you, is in stark contrast to the mannerisms of the man who, in 2020, had told his manager he wanted to quit music altogether. "I don't identify with it, I don't understand it," George relayed to The Guardian in January of what he had told his manager.
"I find it really hard to get my head around why I would pursue what I associate with being quite stressful."
As he explained in the same interview with The Guardian, he was constantly on the hunt for validation. "The diary would be bursting – you could almost see it pulsating," he says. "I lost control, and therefore I started to try to control the things that didn't need controlling."
That control was detrimentally exacerbated by Pure O – a type of OCD – standing for 'purely obsessive' that George first heard about while recording 'Staying At Tamara's'.
Ezra has since received a formal diagnosis, and in describing his symptoms on the BBC's 'How Do You Cope' podcast in September 2020, he said it was "like you're testing yourself. You go, 'in this situation the worst thing you could think is...'; and then you have that thought. And then you'd think 'come on, don't have that thought again', and you do.
"Then you go 'if you're somebody that can have that thought. . . you're [expletive] horrible mate'. Whilst everything's going on in your head, you're vacant to the world around you and you're not really there. . . The only reason I talk about it publicly is because I'm loosely aware of the idea that somebody hearing me talk about this might be helpful."
Contentment with 'Gold Rush Kid' comes as a kind of peace, and not as a self-inflating nihilism – as it often has been with George's part releases. Album cut 'I Went Hunting' – a euphoric, lilting and romantic swoon of self-admission to past instances of self-sabotage – is the very epitome of a restless soul finding solace in who they are.
George's fans have also played some part in helping him overcome his own self-doubt and deprecation.
His 'Gold Rush Kid' European and UK tour is well underway, boasting a performance to a whopping 80,000 people at London's Wembley Stadium, a set on the coveted John Peel stage at the recent Glastonbury Festival, and a headline appearance for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee concert performing right outside Buckingham Palace.
The run of UK and European dates continue into September, before George sets off to visit some old friends back in Australia. In late October, George will bring 'Gold Rush Kid' to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Upon the tour's announcement mid-June, George appeared on 'Sunrise', relaying tales of his pre-famous life recalling an instance when, as a teenager, he won a pub karaoke competition in Queensland.
"It was what seemed like a really lovely community. There was almost a competition element to the open mic, and I ended up winning! I think it was about 50 Australian dollars – the exchange rate at the time meant that I had won big."
Evidently, despite any discrepancies or doubts as to his career path, well-being and community, George will return to Australia this year a confident, well-travelled, well-loved artist, whose experiences with us will (hopefully) contribute to the stories revealed in album number four.
'Gold Rush Kid' is available.
George Ezra 2022 Tour Dates
Sat 29 Oct - Aware Super Theatre (Sydney)Mon 31 Oct - Sidney Myer Music Bowl (Melbourne)
Wed 2 Nov - The Riverstage (Brisbane)
Sat 5 Nov - Kings Park & Botanic Garden (Perth)
