JOY. Concerts presents George O’Hanlon on September 9th.
Personal and passionate singer-songwriter with a mighty future ahead.
It is more than apt that George O’Hanlon is making his recorded debut with ‘The Storm’ EP. Away from a stage or a microphone, the 21 year-old from Dorking might seem more inclined to simply shoot the breeze. Yet like nature itself, which with little warning can stir from merest whispers into a devastating tempest, through music O’Hanlon has the power to connect with some truly elemental forces.
The Storm EP’s opening, and title, track makes this point with a smoldering beauty. From its gentle acoustic opening, O’Hanlon’s bare emotions are there for all feel, vocally running a spectrum from earthy to angelic, before the song first swells and then bursts with an intense passion worthy of its title.
“I switch into a very different person when I play or write music,” admits the singer-songwriter of the contrast between George O’Hanlon with a guitar in his hands and George O’Hanlon without one. “It’s a very different person to who I am walking down the street or whatever. I really like to be in that moment. I think that’s the whole point of music is that connection between people when you’re on stage or when they are listening. That moment is so important.”
Considering the passion and the depth of heart-stirring The Storm EP, it is somewhat remarkable that its songs only trace George O’Hanlon’s first steps on his artistic journey. Feeling the growing power and artistic electricity behind this young yet assured voice, it seems not only prudent to expect lightning to keep striking.
