George Pelham reveals a beautifully stripped back version of his latest single, Not Tonight listen here
George has said of the single, “I wrote Not Tonight about 4 years ago after breaking up with my ex-girlfriend. At the time I was going out a lot and trying to ignore how I was feeling, but I found it very difficult to move on with anyone new. This song is about one of those nights. Musically, I’ve been trying to get it right for years; I’ve produced over 20 different versions of it. As my other songs started coming together and I started playing with a band, Not Tonight came closer and closer to completion, and I believe Rob Jones and I finally cracked the code!”
The young Londoner is putting his own unique twist on posting song covers. He is currently posting a different cover wearing a different suit every day for 30 days, on creative social media platform TikTok. George has said of the challenge, “In support of my new single ‘Not Tonight’, I’ll be singing a different cover with a different suit every day for 30 days. I’ll be posting the videos on TikTok, and sharing teasers on Instagram and YouTube.”
2019 saw the soul/pop artist headline shows at packed out venues such as The Hospital Club, the Finborough Arms and lots more. George has been cutting his teeth on the live circuit over the last couple of years playing 100s of gigs across the country, despite having only released his debut single What A Time To Be Alive last summer, which has amassed over 500k Spotify streams and counting. Taking any shows he could get his hands on, he’s played gigs that have varied from a 4 month residency at London’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s, to supporting Rizzle Kicks at Thorpe Park. George also played festivals including Great Escape and Latitude, as well as a wide range of venues including Mahiki, Alexandra Palace, Soho Farmhouse and the jazz bar at the Pizza Express, Dean Street.
Music was the #1 passion for George growing up – he sang endlessly around the house, joined the school choir, learnt guitar and piano from the age of 7 and started playing open mic nights the moment he was old enough, performing some of his own material and covers like Blackbird by The Beatles. He posted his songs on YouTube, and was quickly discovered by scouts from the X Factor and The Voice, both with requests to enter their respective shows. George swiftly declined, instead preferring to develop his song-writing and figure out his own route.
Tragedy then occurred in the summer of 2016 when his family home burnt to the ground – destroying everything except the clothes on his back. George had nothing left to lose, and from that moment on, he had no choice; he knew he had to make it happen. He worked part time as a tutor to make ends meet and spent every spare minute writing, recording, performing and honing his craft. The efforts paid off when he caught the attention of power house management companies Modest and Red Light, the latter who he went on to sign with. In these rather fickle and sometimes bleak times, George’s main aim is to release music that makes his listeners feel better about the world. He has lots up his sleeve, so watch this space.
