She is the face of SBTV, recently fronted the Adidas ‘We Are London’ campaign, and is continuing to go from strength to strength having starred in the SBTV 'Behind The Scenes' Documentary which aired on Channel 4. Once described by Kelly Rowland as being "kissed by angels in the womb", the list of ludicrously famous urban artists she has interviewed is almost unrivalled. Livemusic decided to rack Georgia Lewis Anderson's brains about the current musical climate, the importance of 'live' music, and what it's like to be surrounded by surrounded by such a talented team.
Livemusic: It's Christmas time, lets start with whether you're a fan of this time of year?
Georgia Lewis Anderson: I love mince pies, tinsel, mulled wine and a cracker or four but do think the Christmas shabang can get a bit much sometimes... this year ideally I'd escape to a tropical island!
LM: How did you become the face of SBTV and why do you think it is so widely recognised now?
GLA: I did as much work experience as possible during my time at University and someone I met along the way re-tweeted Jamal's (SBTV founder) tweet that he was after a new presenter. Luckily I had a shoddy showreel ready to send over and it went from there to my first interview with Kelly Rowland! Personally I don't feel that I'm widely recognised but it feels great that all the hard work team SB has put in is paying off and more people know about the platform.
LM: Did you always plan to work in the music industry?
GLA: I've always wanted to be around music so yes!
LM: Who has been your best interview to date?
GLA: Erm, it's hard there's been a few and they're all pretty different. P-Diddy was probably the most memorable because he refused to do the interview due to man flu but when we pounced on him in a corridor, he ended up loving it! He tweeted like a million times even though he was trying to escape the whole time we were chatting! Plus he told me sex and Kool Aid keeps him young which was pretty amazing.
Bruno Mars kept me on my toes by not answering any of my prepared questions, which was hilarious, he really made me think on my feet and meeting my hero Louis Theroux at the Attack the Block premiere was a dream come true. Weirdly I was way more nervous to interview him than I ever have been for anyone else.
LM: Do you think that you can only truly see an artist's talents if you have seen them live?
GLA: I think you get to see a different side of an artist when they perform live, and their personality a bit more than you might do just listening to them. Our a64's are quite personal, and good for showing viewers another side to the artist in what is usually a stripped down performance. I think if someone is really amazing it comes through via video or live performance - look at Jessie J's early video blogs, there is no denying those pipes! But it's definitely more special sharing talented airspace.
LM: Who are the best live acts you have seen?
GLA: There are so many... I had one of my best nights at the first festival I ever went to when I was about 15 - seeing Grandmaster Flash boss the hell out of his set where I don't remember ever leaving the dance floor. Fatboy Slim playing tune after tune at Glastonbury a few years ago is memorably amazing, and I think it was the same year that James Brown played The Pyramid Stage surrounded by naked ladies whilst having to sit down between tracks?! That was something I'll never ever forget and feel lucky to have witnessed! Catching Oasis and Liam Gallagher do his thing in his fluffy white coat at Glastonbury was a real moment too. As was Van Morrison performing Brown Eyed Girl the following year.
I took my Dad to see Leonard Cohen when he was at Big Chill a while back and when he did Hallelujah the sky filled up with lanterns, which was pretty special. I also remember taking my Mum to see Shirley Bassey at the Roundhouse where it was sick to be in the presence of a real diva who had amazing energy and phenomenally sparkly garms.
Most recently Wretch at Koko blew me away especially his singer Shezar who I think is one to look out for, Drizzy's (Drake) 'three stroke banter' was hilarious and I think Ed Sheeran puts on a fab live show that you can't help but be entranced by.
LM: In your opinion, what is the best record (single or album) of 2011?
GLA: It’s between SBTRKT, Ed Sheeran '+', or Drake's 'Take Care'.
LM: Who should we be on the lookout for in 2012?
GLA: I'm feeling Shezar McKenzie, Etta Bond, I think Iggy Azealia at the moment is interesting, Delilah's fierce, The Bullitts are definitely one to look out for. I also can't wait to hear Yasmin's and Labrinth's albums and I'm loving the future garage vibes care of Jamie XX, Deadboy and the like.
LM: how far can SBTV go and where would you like to see it go?
GLA: Well it's already grown in tonnes of ways from politics, to sport, fashion, comedy, to showcasing acts that you might not expect. I don't think there's a limit necessarily as to how far we can go, as we're all hungry for it and want to keep on doing original online content for young people. We would love to expand across the pond to the US of A.
LM: We love the fact that SBTV allows people who have previously only been into the UK urban music scene to see music from across the globe and from genres they may have previously snubbed. It is a powerdul platform. How do you plan to harness this power to make a difference in the future?
Like we did with our Battlefront project I'd like to see more involvement from SBTV in engaging young people in politics and raising awareness of their potential to make a difference in this unsteady time for many. Politics was something I was never taught at school and only really got into at University so I think making people aware that they have a voice and it's cool to use it is important...
I'm looking forward to the platform to keep on discovering new exciting artists, and being part of a group of young people who are creating fun and original content.
SBTV are putting on a massive Xmas bash to celebrate a massive year. For more information click here.
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Words - Joss Meek
Permalink: http://livemusic.fm/news/livemusic-interview-sbtvs-georgia-lewis-anderson
Posted 15th December by Livemusic Team
