An unmistakable sense of drama has emerged in George Maple’s sound over the past couple of years, as she has forged a formidable name for herself in the electronic music scene internationally.
But it hasn’t always been this way. For the Australian-born artist otherwise known as Jess Higgs, listening to Jamie xx and Gil Scott-Heron’s 2011 remix album We’re New Here was an important moment that changed her perspective on songwriting altogether, and drew her into the dance scene.
“I grew up listening to pop music and soul, and didn’t really understand the dance world until I got a little bit older,” says Higgs. “Then I discovered this album. I think it was the fusion of Gil Scott-Heron’s soulful voice with Jamie – just such interesting production – that I started to become really obsessed with production more than anything, and just sound.”
Though Higgs had been touring with Flight Facilities at the time, and was being exposed to lots of electronic music, she was still discovering the intricacies of the genre. Singing big, energetic ballads was where she felt comfortable in pop, but she decided to go the other way entirely with her electronic writing, starting off by favouring the subtle, floaty vocals that can be heard in tracks like ‘Fixed’.
Today, Higgs says she has somewhat returned to her songwriting roots of belted-out vocals and pop influences, becoming less reserved and more adventurous with her sound. In fact, Higgs recently debuted one of her new tracks, ‘Sticks And Horses’, in a US strip club. The experience was certainly an eye-opener for her.
“It’s just this crazy bizarre world of colours and light and sexuality, and vulgarness, and I had this weird sort of relationship with it that I feel connected to it in some ways, and I have various opinions on whether I like it or don’t like it.”
The strip club stunt didn’t meet with an entirely positive response, but Higgs explains that actually experiencing the club’s culture was crucial to getting the song’s vision over the finish line. “There’s so much observation – the combination of my environment and observation of my own experiences, I guess, and it’s about sex, money and power. I think that I’ve experienced a lot of bullshit in the last two years, and I’m now writing about it.”
The staples of a George Maple live show these days include snares, costume changes and lighting design, a dramatic vision that dates all the way back to Higgs’ childhood. “When I was a kid, I used to throw themed parties,” she says. “It’s in my blood that everything has to be thematic, and really quite theatrical.”
Higgs has always been an artist and individual “of the moment”, she says, and this eventually inspired her decision to leave Australia and pursue her music career in London. After spending a while in the UK, drawing influence from artists like Bonobo and Jamie xx, she now lives in Los Angeles. But this hasn’t stopped her from collaborating on writing and production with an impressive lineup of Australian artists, including Flume, Touch Sensitive, Hayden James, Tkay Maidza, and most recently, What So Not.
Though collaborating internationally has been easy for Higgs (with a lot of back-and-forth on the phone and over email), she says there’s nothing like being in the studio with another musician. “In the studio is always better. Being in person with someone is always the best form of collaboration, but if you can’t get that, sometimes it’s best to be on your own and to be able to reflect upon things. But definitely my favourite thing is to be absorbing as much energy as possible in the studio.”
Higgs speaks highly of the Australian music scene’s “raw energy”, and particularly mentions what a great source of influence and collaboration Chris Emerson of What So Not has been throughout the years. She says one of the best things about their friendship is their brutal honesty with each other, which is sometimes what’s needed most during the songwriting process. “He once said that to me: ‘Why do you have such weak drums?’ and I was like, ‘OK…’” says Higgs. “But it was really good, I think we challenge each other.”
Ultimately, like many talented producers, Higgs wants to end up helping other musicians develop their sound to become career artists, and she sees LA as a brilliant stepping stone for just that. But in the meantime, Higgs will be heading back to our shores for an Australian tour. With 20-year-old producer UV Boi joining her for shows around the country, and more special guests to be revealed on each night, there are lots of surprises in store.
“There’s new music, it’s all quite dramatic,” Higgs says. “I’m going to be coordinating the whole thing as a full show and working on the costumes and the lighting – I love that stuff so much. I’m hoping I’ll be able to bring what’s in my brain and be able to put it onto a stage and walk away [from the audience] feeling like they’ve actually experienced a show.”
[George Maple photo by Darren McDonald]
George Maple appearsFriday July 8 at Metro Theatre, with UV Boi.
