Meek
4/30/202659 min
Robert meets MEEK, an emerging singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose new EP Fabulous has become a favourite of the art world, and global queer community, since debuting in February. We discuss how art has inspired her creativity and life, including the work of Magritte, Tracey Emin, Georgia O’Keefe and her passion for the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A and visiting museums in London.
We explore her devotion to artistry within her music, visuals and costumes including recent collaborations with filmmaker Sophie Muller and performance artist Theo Adams on her debut music videos, and sold out live shows at the Garage and SXSW.
MEEK is not a work in progress. She is fully formed, earned her stripes, comes from nothing, nepo-baby baiting execution of timeless pop brilliance. While sounding directly descended from the DNA of famed countercultural misfits and bona fide pop aces, all strewn across the decades, her music is a no messing, straight shoot for the top. Georgia Meek understands that people like her only get one chance to make a first impression.
Frequently, her songs will open out with a stringent big note, a walloping guitar figure, the best hook in her almanac of songwriter-ly resources. Because they have to. “I’ve never had the option to ask,” she says. “I’ve always had to take. I’ve always had to force my way through closed doors. That’s what shapes my sound. Yes, we will start with a huge vocal note to make people turn around and listen. Yes, I will say in the studio, give me some hair-raising guitar windmills. Let’s do that. You waste thirty seconds and you’ve lost it.”
Equally, MEEK’s visual aesthetic is once seen, never forgotten. She wants to reclaim dressing up for everyone, not just those that can afford to indulge in the monied whimsy of high fashion. “I have a clear visual thing for myself, which is basically prom outfits for poor people.” She’s the Cinderella who flipped a finger at the Ugly Sisters, then invited them along to join in the fun, too. “It’s about being absolute glam-trash and owning it. That pink tulle over a stained Adidas jacket? Throw it on. I just want it to feel like something anybody can put together themselves, a sustainable way to look fucking wild. Why not?”
The best thing about MEEK? There is a point to her. She is as if the comedy queen, Daisy May Cooper stumbled into a charity shop, found a bunch of glittering second hand couture, dolled herself up shamelessly in it, injected the raw spirit of Freddie Mercury and emerged, Mr Ben style, as a fully-fledged MEGASTAR in the making out of the changing rooms, then lead a troubadour of misfits singing down the high street. There is not what you might call a shortage of self-confidence in MEEK. As she sings herself, on a calling card anthem which is sure to become the earworm of the nation once unleashed upon its airwaves: “I’m so f*cking fabulous.”
This week sees MEEK performing live on numerous TV shows including Saturday Night Live UK, with Aimee Lou Wood as well as her USA TV debut with Jimmy Fallon.
Follow @MustBeMeek
Listen to Meek’s new EP Fabulous out now:
https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/meek/1784432868
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRobert Diament· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Good afternoon, good morning, good evening, wherever you are in the world. My name is Robert Diament, and you're listening to Talk Art. Welcome to Talk Art. Now, today, I am feeling like a beautiful freak, and I'm definitely feeling effing fabulous. I won't say the swear word just because it's the intro, and I'll get told off by my mum, which, um, is a regular occurrence lately on this series. But today's guest is an amazing songwriter, singer, and performer, but in my eyes, she's an artist and an artist at her very core. And she reminds me a lot of when I used to work in the music industry in, in my teenage years. I was, uh, touring in bands all the way through my 20s. And for me, there was always a correlation between the art world and the music world. And obviously, I ended up moving more into the art world. But when I saw today's guest's, uh, music video, uh, at the end of February for the song Fabulous, I was just blown away. And it's directed by Sophie Muller, and it's the most exquisite video, and it brought back memories of the reason that I even started to like music. And I just think there's a real artistry in everything she's doing and, um, such a positive energy, which right now we're in need of more than ever because of the state of the world. And I actually think that as a kind of mission statement, kind of using art for good and for positive energy and to unite people is so important. So I really wanted to welcome