George Ezra
George Barnett (born George Ezra Barnett;[2] 7 June 1993) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. After releasing two EPs, Did You Hear the Rain? (2013) and Cassy O' (2014), Ezra rose to prominence with the release of his hit single "Budapest", which reached number one in several countries. His debut studio album, Wanted on Voyage, was released in June 2014, reaching number one in the UK and the top ten in seven other countries. It was also the third-best-selling album of 2014 in the UK.[3]
George Ezra
George Ezra Barnett
7 June 1993
Hertford, Hertfordshire, England
- Singer
- songwriter
- guitarist
- podcaster
- Vocals
- guitar
2013–present
Ezra's second studio album, Staying at Tamara's, was released in March 2018 and reached number one in the UK and the top ten in eight other countries. The second single from the album, "Paradise", reached number two in the UK, while the next single, "Shotgun", reached number one, becoming Ezra's first chart-topping single in the UK, Ireland[4][5] and Australia.[6] In February 2019, he won the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist. Ezra released his third studio album, Gold Rush Kid, in June 2022. It became his third consecutive UK no. 1 album.
Early life[edit]
George Ezra Barnett was born on 7 June 1993 in Hertford, Hertfordshire. His parents were teachers, with his father, Paul, teaching at Barnwell School in Stevenage.[7] Barnett attended primary school in Bengeo and then Simon Balle School.[8] He studied at Hertford Regional College.[9] He moved to Bristol in 2011 to study songwriting at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute.[10] Ezra has an elder sister named Jessica who accompanies him on tour, and a younger brother named Ethan who is also a singer-songwriter, under the stage name Ten Tonnes.[11]
Music career[edit]
2013–2016: Wanted on Voyage[edit]
In June 2013, Ezra played the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury Festival.[12] He released his debut EP Did You Hear the Rain? in October 2013. In late 2013, he received airplay on BBC Radio 1, with songs "Did You Hear the Rain?" and "Budapest" regularly featured. He was included in MTV's Brand New for 2014,[13] Vevo's 'DSCVR Ones to Watch 2014'[12] and iTunes' new artists 2014.[14] Ezra was longlisted for the BBC Sound of... 2014, where he eventually finished in fifth place.[15]
"Budapest" reached number six in Italy and was certified platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.[16] He has played support spots for Lianne La Havas, Bastille, Sam Smith and Tom Odell.[17] In March 2014 he released his second EP, Cassy O'. "Budapest" was released in the UK on 13 June, followed by his debut album, Wanted on Voyage, on 30 June. On 6 July, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number three.[18] The album has also charted in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand. On 5 October, 14 weeks after its initial release, Wanted on Voyage went to number one in the UK.[19] In December 2014 the album had sold 678,156 copies in the UK. In January 2015 it was named the third best-selling album of 2014 in the UK after x by Ed Sheeran and In the Lonely Hour by Sam Smith.[3][20] On 4 January 2015, the album reclaimed the number one spot in the UK.[21]
Musical style[edit]
Ezra cites Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and James Baylin as his main musical influences. The Financial Times described it as music that "approximates rock… but without any hint of danger, or unpredictability".[39] When the Gramophone Rings described him as having "a voice beyond his years", with "a soulful tone that somehow would feel more at home coming from an Alabama bartender than a 21-year-old Bristolian".[40] Zane Lowe, a former BBC Radio 1 DJ, called him "one of the most compelling and powerful new vocalists around".[41]
A youthful obsession with Dylan prompted Ezra to seek out earlier American folk and blues artists. "Out of curiosity, I went to find how high I can jump off a cliff", he said. "That's when I found Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie and Howlin' Wolf." Ezra had heard a Lead Belly compilation and had simply tried to sing like him. "On the back of the record, it said his voice was so big, you had to turn your record player down", Ezra said. "I liked the idea of singing with a big voice, so I tried it, and I could."[42]
Podcasts[edit]
On 12 February 2018, Ezra released the first episode of his podcast George Ezra & Friends, a show that typically ranges from 45 minutes to an hour and a half during which he talks to other artists. Ezra's inspiration for the podcast was listening to other podcasts featuring "comedians chatting with other comedians".[43]
Personal life[edit]
Some time after the release of his first album, Ezra met and later began dating Florrie Arnold; however, the relationship ended after three years.[44] Ezra has stated he has Pure O, a form of obsessive compulsive disorder that consists of obsessions and anxiety with purely mental, not physical, compulsions.[45] During lockdown, he took up Transcendental Meditation (TM). He explained: "TM is a kind of meditation for me. It's just 20 minutes of eyes closed, and you repeat a word, a mantra. Oftentimes I don't get many times through the mantra, I just think about all sorts of nonsense, but it's 20 minutes of stopping, which is good."[46]
Filmography[edit]
2022: End to End[edit]
End to End is a documentary following George Ezra, Adam Scarborough, and Christy Tattershall on a journey from Land's End to John o' Groats. It premiered in theatres 29 August, and was only available for one day. On 13 January 2023 It was released on Amazon Prime UK.