It’s a few weeks since the release of his second EP Say hi to Paula, and New Zealand singer-songwriter Luca George is over the moon.
The deeply personal project has been years in the making, crafted with a dream team of collaborators including Gabrielle Aplin, Spacey Jane’s Caleb Harper, and producer Konstantin Kersting. The result is a body of work that balances vulnerability and versatility. It’s lyrically raw but sonically expansive, shifting between upbeat pop and gut-wrenching ballads.
Across five tracks, George explores heartbreak, loneliness, and hope with an honesty that feels both intimate and universal.
The Kiwi artist is also marking a new chapter in his career, having recently made the leap from Aotearoa to London after years of dreaming about the move. Now surrounded by a growing network of collaborators and friends, George says he finally feels settled and more inspired than ever.
Even amid the chaos of relocating, playing shows, and constant creation, his gratitude and excitement are palpable. Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with George to discuss Say hi to Paula, settling in London, his favourite New Zealand artists, and more.
Luca George’s Say hi to Paula EP is out now via Island Records.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: Could you walk me through the process of creating Say hi to Paula?
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Luca George: It’s been a long, a long journey, like I’ve been writing these [songs] for about two years with a lot of different collaborators.
I wanted this EP to be quite broad and kind of contrasting with its sounds, sonically and lyrically as well. I think all of my songs lyrically are really… they come from a quite dark place. But production-wise, I made sure to have a couple of, you know, like an upbeat [song], a mid-tempo [one], a really sad one, a really, really, really sad one. I feel like there’s something for everyone in the EP. So yeah, I’m just so, so happy to have it out. It’s been such a long time coming and we’ve got so much stuff coming up as well. I’m so excited right now.
How was working with those collaborators?
That was like an actual dream. I’m [Caleb’s] first co-write that’s out, he’s never properly co-written before. So it’s an honour. And honestly, that session was the best session I’ve ever had in my entire life. I’m not over-exaggerating, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he said the same… it was me, him and Konstantin [Kersting], it was a writing camp that Konstantin and Peach PRC put on with APRA. And so, oh my God, it was just the best session ever.
The EP came out a little under two weeks ago, what’s the reaction been like?
It’s been so awesome. I’ve received so many amazing messages. Especially for “Flowers for You”, like I’ve been really pushing it online. and it’s had like quite awesome feedback so far. We just had this show in London, and people had already discovered the song like within a week, and so we had people flying in from Scotland and people coming in from Wales and they all bought me flowers and it was the cutest thing ever. I think those fans and connections this early on in my career are so important and I’m so thankful for them. And so seeing that reaction after the EP is like, it’s so satisfying. So I’d say it’s going pretty well. Yeah, just like I said, I still can’t believe it’s out. I’m so happy.
What’s the story behind “brOKen”? How did the meaning for that song come together?
It’s interesting because the concept that I had before coming into the studio, I had for quite a while, and there was nothing really positive about it. Through the experiences of watching my family kind of break up and my parents go through this really bad divorce, I kind of lost belief in love and so I felt pretty unloveable and broken. And basically as I was writing it, I had this idea of me being this porcelain plate, like being thrown off a ten-storey building… it’s really random, I’m very visual.
But it was this idea of this plate being so beyond smashed, bits in the air and, you know, scattered apart, and it’s like kind of unfixable. And then as we were writing it, I’m so dyslexic and when I spelled it out I was like, ‘What the fuck, what are the chances of ok being in broken,’ and writing with Gabrielle [Aplin], she was like, ‘That’s a sick idea, the only thing you can do is steal the ok from broken,’ and I was like, ‘Let’s fucking do it.’
When rehearsing it and performing it, like when I played it to my family and my cousins, I would tell them the story, and my little cousin would be like, ‘Yeah, like I’m actually really struggling at school right now.’ So I told him, ‘You know, if you ever feel broken, like you can always steal the okay.’ So it’s kind of nice to have that positive messaging in that song.
Obviously each track on the EP has its own story, but is there one thing you hope listeners take away from Say hi to Paula if they listen from start to finish?
Oh, yeah, I think I think they definitely have their own. But I think there’s an overarching, like, loneliness to the project. With “brOKen”, definitely feeling like unloveable and lost, then with “Son of an Angel” it’s more about not really having a home and being lost in that sense.
“Flowers for You” is kind of different because [it] comes from a different angle. But, yeah, I don’t know, it was just kind of a collection of moments in my life, basically. If you can find yourself in any of those songs, maybe the take away is just feeling less alone. I think that’s kind of what I want to do, I feel like that’s what most artists want to do is like connect with anyone, whether it’s one or two people or it’s a hundred thousand or a million. We’re in the business of connection, and if you can find yourself in any of those songs and feel a little bit less alone, I think that’s when I’ve done my job.
Now tell me a bit about your decision to move to London. Why did you do it?
I can’t even contain myself, I’m so happy. I’ve been wanting to do this for maybe three years, just non-stop calling my manager, being like, ‘When is it happening?’ And on the last trip, which was maybe three-and-a-half months ago, I knew I was ready. And my manager’s had artists before move over too early and it didn’t work and everything was crashing and burning, but now felt like the right time.
I’ve spent such a long time building like my contacts over here and friends and collaborators over here, I have such an amazing sense of community over here now… I am so thankful for them. And even everyone I’m working with now, like this incredible producer Mike Spencer who did a lot of the early Kylie Minogue stuff, worked with Labyrinth. He has this beautiful house with an amazing studio up north, and the support has been amazing, so it just really felt like the right time.
Basically I only came over for a month, and I got a call from my mum and she was like, ‘Why are you coming back? You don’t need to come back, you could just stay.’ I was planning on coming back as soon as I could anyways… I’m going to go back [to New Zealand], fill up my two suitcases with my entire life, and just do it.
I haven’t had somewhere to live in like almost two years. I’ve been at my friend’s houses and hotels and like Airbnbs and stuff. So I’m so excited to just have have a place. I moved so much as a kid, we lived in about 16 houses in ten years, so everything that has happened in my life has enabled me to live the life that I live now, being an artist. I’m so thankful for of all the lessons I learned growing up, because I feel like not many people would be able to be this much of a nomad.
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What do you miss most about New Zealand?
My friends and my family definitely. Plus, the music scene over there, the collaborators, you know, I’m so thankful for growing up in New Zealand, I think it’s such a special place. Like there’s so many incredible things like NZ On Air and New Zealand Music Commission, they have literally made this possible to become an artist, with their funding.
But, you know, I think this is such an exciting time, I love it here so much. So New Zealand’s not going away. I’m definitely going to make sure I’m looking after that fan base and coming back and touring and doing all that stuff. So, yeah, I’ll see them soon.
Any other New Zealand artists you’re listening to at the moment?
So many. I think the key ones that pop into my head, some of my favourite artists are probably TEEKS, I love Ratbag right now, she’s amazing, I love RIIKI REID, I love an artist called BEXY, who I’ve collaborated with before — yeah, there’s so many.
What’s on the cards for future plans?
I can’t really share anything right now because we’re still working on everything, but there’s stuff coming soon. Like I said, it’s literally been two years of non-stop work but that’s just the first step… There’s a thousand more steps to go. And I’m just thankful to even be on the staircase you know, because it’s a fucking hard industry.
