Call Me Loop
Interview conducted April 8, 2021
By Dan Locke
Fast-rising popstar Call Me Loop (Georgia Buchanan) has already gained support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, MTV, Pop justice, GQ, FAULT, 1883, Official Charts and Gay Times. She’s clocked up a staggering 45 million streams on Spotify since the release of her debut single, Looking At You. Last year, her electronic pop anthem Self Love received support from Scott Mills and Adele Roberts, was featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday list at No.5, and landed a synch deal with Apple. She was championed by MTV as one of their Push artists in 2019, performing a special show alongside Lizzo and Madison Beer. 2020 has seen Call Me Loop off to an incredible start, she appeared in the Nike x Chelsea FC campaign for the FA cup 50-year anniversary kit and has also co-written the Pussycat Dolls’ comeback single – React.
What is your upbringing?
Georgia Buchanan– I’m lucky to have had a very lovely upbringing! I’m very close with my parents and older brother, I loved my school years, and I always knew I wanted to be a popstar so I used to do singing camps in my school holidays. My parents wanted me to go to college and get a degree before fully pursuing music so I went and studied Drama for 3 years, which to be honest I didn’t love, cos I just got cabin fever after the first year and wanted to be moving on with my life past higher education!
How did you discover music?
I just fell in love with pop music the minute I heard it, and as soon as I realised, I could sing, I was obsessed with all things pop. My presents were always karaoke machines and toy microphones and CDs and Walkman’s and things like that. For my fourteenth birthday my parents bought me a ‘day in a studio’ experience gift and I still remember that day so clearly. I was so excited but soooo nervous about singing in a real studio. I recorded Mariah Carey ‘Hero’ and Lucie Silvas ‘What You’re Made Of’ and it was just the most fun. It made me desperate to be able to do it for the rest of my life.
How did you start to write music?
I used to write poems all the time when I was really little, just about like my family and school and stuff, and then as I got into my double figures, I started to move on to slightly more interesting topics (like love, even though I’d obviously never experienced it haha), and putting melodies to them. I couldn’t play any instruments, so they were all just a Capella’s, but I loved it! In primary and secondary school, I used to make my friends make girl groups with me and sing the songs I’d written, either just in break time or in the school talent shows… When we reminisce on it now, we don’t quite know how I managed to coerce them into it haha.
How did you get your name?
So, my real name is Georgia, and my mum’s nickname for me was Georgie-Lou, which somehow became Loopy-Loo, which then became Loopy, or just Loop. So, when I decided I wanted to have an alias it seemed the obvious option! I already responded to it as a name, and it has musical connotations. I initially was just Loop, but then realised there’s quite a lot of Loops out there in the world so I added the Call Me to make it more unique, and more search engine friendly lol, as my Instagram handle was already @callmeloop.
Describe your music.
I usually describe it as sassy, emotive pop. The majority of my songs are really uplifting, empowering… songs to put on to help you get through a breakup, or remind yourself that you’re a bad b*tch. They’re fun but really honest and raw – my lyrics are always very true-to-life, and I think my fans appreciate that; it’s what makes my songs so relatable and accessible, I think.
What was your first performance like?
God I actually can’t remember… My memory is awful – something I hate about myself! – but I do know that I would’ve been absolutely terrified cos I used to have awful stage fright… I still get really nervous before stage, but it’s outweighed by excitement now, whereas a few years ago it was just cripplingly scary!!
Back in 2016 you were first a feature artist on the BBC, then your mom heard your music on the radio. What was that day like that your mom called you up to tell you she could now retire?
Haha a very good day! It’s always an incredible feeling to know that you’ve made your loved ones proud, and also just to get support from such a huge platform like Radio 1. That was an amazing week.
How was it to find out that your music was going to be played on Elton John’s Rocket Hour radio show?
Another great moment! One to tick off the bucket list. My dad was particularly excited about that one. He set his alarm so he could wake up in time to hear it live haha. But yeah, hearing THE Elton John say my name and introduce my song, with some very flattering comments, was a real pinch-me moment.
How was it to perform alongside Lizzo and Madison Beer?
AMAZING. That was one hell of a night. It was such a small intimate show, and the atmosphere was awesome. I’d only just heard of Lizzo in recent weeks and I was obsessed with her. So, to meet her backstage and chat away about life was pretty surreal. And then see her perform on a tiny stage to an audience of about 50 people. Madison was amazing too. So yeah, to share and MTV stage with two powerhouse females was definitely a night to remember!
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
It depends what you count as my first original song! If we’re going way back to my childhood, then my first song was called ‘I Don’t Know Why’… haha. It wasn’t good. Then there was one called ‘Two-Timer’ that I wrote with my friend when we were in the car for hours driving to France for a skiing holiday with our families. That was when we were about 10 and is surprisingly similar to the sorts of songs, I write now haha always sassing/calling out f*ckboys. Then the first song I wrote and actually produced and recorded myself as well was when I was 23, I think and called Black Sheets. I still love that song. It’s like moody pop, a la Banks, who I was obsessed with at the time. I’ve got a demo of it yeah! But it’s a bit of a mess lol.
What is the process of writing your music?
It kind of depends on the session/the day, but usually I go in to the studio with a blank slate; no title or melodies or anything in mind, but obviously knowing the kind of mood I’m in – so whether I want to write something upbeat/sassy/sad/etc. I’ll play the producer and co-writer some of my fav demos which are on the shortlist to be upcoming singles, so that they know what kind of lane we’re going down, and then we’ll start with the beat and chords – I never usually write to just piano or guitar, I need a beat to get in the zone and prompt topliner ideas (unless we’re on a ballad vibe, obviously!). And yeah, from there I write lyrics and melody simultaneously, and usually from verse through pre through chorus. I like to write chronologically so that I know how the story is evolving, as my main focus is always the lyrics. If we start at the chorus I always panic and say ‘But how have we got here!’
Let’s talk about your sophomore EP “Drama”?
Yeah, I love that EP. It reflects on a few really key relationships in my life between 2017-2019 and when I listen to those songs, I immediately get transported back to each of the relationships, which is a really positive and nostalgic experience for me. I wish we’d released Association as a single as I know it was a real fan favourite, and it’s such a bop! But I love every song on that EP to be honest. I think my favourites are Business, because it’s my most vulnerable release to date, and Silly Boy, because I’m just obsessed with both the topliner and the production on it. It’s such a cool little pop song, if I do say so myself!
Tell me about “Rose”
So, I actually wrote Rosé over Zoom about a month into the first lockdown. I wrote it with writer-producer duo Jo:Ker and we were just lamenting real life – little did we know we still had such a long way to go before any kind of normality returned! – and I was missing my boyfriend and feeling gutted that we weren’t going to get a proper summer etc etc; everything that every human on the planet was feeling around that time I think, and we just wanted to make a song that would transport everyone away from the Covid world and to a beautiful sunny sexy romantic holiday. It’s one of my favourites ever releases and I think we nailed our goal – it’s just got such a fun sensual nostalgic vibe to it – perfect for summer 2021!!
Three months after you release “Rose”, you re-release it as a sweeter version. Why acoustic?
The fans were asking for one! And what they want, they get haha. And also, I just knew the melodies and lyrics would lend themselves really nicely to an acoustic version. I also hadn’t done an acoustic version of any of my releases for nearly 2 years so I think it was long overdue!
With your songs having over 47 million streams I can only see your career going up. What is the next song you will be releasing?
Yeah, Spotify have been an amazing support to me and my music ever since my first release ‘Looking At You’ in 2016, and I’m so grateful. It’s so rare to be an independent pop artist and to receive that level of streaming love so I love them for it! I think I know what my next single is now but I can’t say yet I’m afraid!! Watch this space…
How do you stay healthy while performing?
I don’t really do anything differently health-wise around performances, and I think if I went on a lengthy tour, I’d definitely struggle to stay healthy cos it’s so hard to eat well and sleep well etc on the road. But yeah, in the lead-up to gigs/tours I’m definitely a bit more disciplined with my vocal exercises and I drink less alcohol, just so I know my voice will be in a healthier state for the shows. And in general life, I eat fairly well in the week and train with my personal trainer a few times a week. But on the weekends, anything goes really… takeaways are my kryptonite!
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
It definitely has temporarily! But we’ll be back soon. I was really worried for smaller music venues in the UK last year because the government was giving them such little financial support, but after a lot of outrage from the music industry, there’s been more action taken there and I’m just praying the majority of live shows and festivals will be back to normal from next year! I think the more worrying prospect for touring musicians in the long-term is Brexit… If we have to get visas to play in Europe it’s going to make it so much harder and more expensive to play internationally and that will definitely affect smaller more independent acts, myself included.
What have you been doing with your lockdown?
The same as most people, I think. Trying to keep some sense of routine/normality in my life, writing songs over zoom, insta-lives with friends and fans, zooms with my family, a lot of Netflix watching, a lot of walks, exercise, drinking, cooking, Tik Tok-ing…! I can’t even really remember what I was doing in lockdown 1 though, it feels so long ago. I can’t believe it’s been over a year of this life now, so so rubbish.
I like your “One minute cover”?
Thank you! They were a fun thing to do for a while in lockdown. It gave me a fun project each week and the fans really seemed to like them – it was fun making it interactive and asking them to choose which songs I should cover, and it was nice producing the vocals myself, something I would never have been able to do pre-lockdown!
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Not really… I’ve got better at Logic and recording/producing my own vocals at home, which is an invaluable skill to have so I’m grateful for that. I’ve tried sewing for the first time, but that was a one-off as a present for my friend – I can’t see myself becoming an avid embroiderer sadly! I told myself I’d re-learn Spanish, but somehow haven’t managed to get round to that yet, but my friend who speaks fluent Spanish just moved in with me so I’m ACTUALLY going to do it now, with his help!
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
Through social media! I have a real love/hate relationship with Instagram etc, as I know most people do, but one thing I do loooove about it is how it allows me to keep in touch my fans constantly, even though these horrible times where we can’t see each other in the real world. We do Instagram lives and zooms and WhatsApp group chats, and it’s just the best way to keep in touch and give them sneak peaks of new music and play them demos and do Q&As and anything else we can think of!
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
I’m not sure I’m down for this haha. The minute we can do real gigs again that’s where you’ll find me. I’ll be done with virtual performances the minute they’re not necessary anymore! I’m all about that real life buzz. I want to see peoples’ faces and hear their voices and give them all hugs.
In the past if a musician stops doing music, they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
This is a funny one, cos in some ways I feel like there’s literally nothing else I’d be able to do… but then in others I’m also so intrigued by so many other careers that I’d love to try loads out! I’d love to work in a panda sanctuary or an elephant sanctuary cos I’m obsessed with both of them! I’d also love to be a casting director because I love TV and film and have always been so interested in which actors get cast for which roles, and I love watching audition tapes. I’d also love to do something that involved a lot of travelling and seeing the world.
What is your happy place?
I’ve been asked this before and I really wish I had an answer for it, because I love the idea of a ‘happy place’; it feels very romantic… but in reality, I’m not sure I’ve got one! I love my parents’ home. It’s beautiful and it holds so many happy memories and it will always be ‘home’ to me, until I buy a house with my future husband and have my own babies! So maybe that would be the closest thing to a happy place for me.
Sony Music in November and Warner Music Group in December, The ByteDance-owned video app revealed on (February 8) that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
I don’t really think that will affect my usage of it, no. I don’t use it that much currently, just when I get the urge/idea to make something silly or funny or post a cover or something. I’m very inconsistent with my posting on Tik Tok – sometimes I won’t post for weeks and then I’ll suddenly post 5 videos in the space of a couple of days. I’ll always be like that, I think!
The British government, buoyed by early good news on a brisk roll-out of vaccinations in the UK, set out a roadmap that, as things stand, would see the re-opening of large music events in the UK, with no audience limit, on June 21. Live Nation and its subsidiary, Festival Republic, didn’t hang about after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made this announcement on Monday (February 22). The companies quickly announced that their Reading & Leeds festival – an annual fest taking place across two locations in the UK with a combined capacity of around 180,000 – would be going ahead between August 27 and 29 this year, and that tickets were on sale. With this announcement Live Nation; USA wants to following the lead of Live Nation UK. — If this happens and live concerts start happening this summer, would you be up to playing live shows again and under want precautions, would you like to have in place?
Yes, a hundred percent! I’m actually booked for a few festivals already in August and September which I am SO excited for. If our roadmap goes ahead as planned then we should all be vaccinated and there won’t be any precautions in place anymore… but we shall see! I’ve got everything crossed because I am so ready for festival season!
