luca george on sophmore ep say hi to paula
Words: savannah gallimore
Luca George's sophomore EP Say Hi to Paula is a testament to the healing power of music, channeling heartbreak, love, loss and self-discovery. Anchored by the dreamy new single “Flowers For You,” the project captures Luca in real time, writing from emotional chaos and turning deeply personal moments into songs that invite listeners to feel less alone. Luca's vulnerability goes beyond the music. In our conversation, he opens up about the intense process of turning pain into art and the way personal experiences shape his sound. Say Hi to Paula is an exploration of what it means to be human, to feel deeply, and to embrace the imperfections that come with living. It’s a reminder that even in the darkest times, there’s always a chance for beauty to bloom.
Photo credit: Cybele Malinowski
Temper: Say Hi to Paula is described as your most emotionally honest and vulnerable project yet. What made you ready to be this open at this stage of your career?
Luca George: I love all the music on Say hi to Paula and I’m so proud of it – I don’t know if it’s my most emotionally honest and vulnerable project, but I definitely think it's one of them. I think ‘You'll Never Know Me Sober’, my last project was even more raw and vulnerable - I was scared to release that one. What made me ready to be this open at this stage of my life, was I feel more confident putting it out into the world. I love the storytelling and as most of the songs actually do have a positive twist to them, I hope they resonate and make people feel less alone. Like ‘brOKen’, which is one of the the lead singles on the EP. The lyric is “I stole OK from brOKen”, is beautiful. With ‘Flowers For You’, that's also the same. If you really listen to the lyrics in the chorus, there is actually a lot of positive aspects about these songs. They are raw and honest and come from a very dark place, which most of my music always does.
T: The EP explores love, heartbreak, loss, self-discovery and the messy aftermath of a breakup. Was it cathartic to turn those experiences into music or did you make them harder to confront?
LG: Great question… I love putting an experience or feeling into a physical thing, like music. You can actually go back and listen to it many times and process what happened, and it is the biggest form of therapy for me. I don't write music to write a hit or to impress anyone I write music because I literally need to. I'm so thankful and grateful that I'm able to because so many people aren't able to literally do this.
T: You've said every track is a true story from your life. What was the hardest emotional moment to revisit while writing this EP?
LG: Honestly, all of it. It's funny because I wrote ‘brOKen’ and all of these songs when I was broken. I broke up with my partner and I remember crying in bed, screaming, so emotional and consumed with the idea of no one else is gonna love me. ‘brOKen’ is almost like a manifestation for myself, like I'm gonna steal the okay from broken whenever I feel sad. That song was pretty hard to write. Also ‘Son of an Angel’ is really personal about someone very close to me in my life.
T: Can you talk more about what Say hi to Paul means to you and why you chose that phrase as a representation of the entire project?
LG: I thought it was an awesome and unique lyric. I love artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Raye and Tom Odell, who use specific names in their songs. Paula is actually the name of my ex-boyfriend's mom. I sent him the song the day that I wrote it, and I was like, play this to your mum and she ended up loving it. She's always messaging me about it being heard in the grocery store. I just love the sound of it too. I think it encompasses a time in my life, and acknowledging the past and being thankful for that experience. I think it's a beautiful positive title of respect and saying I'm still open to talking to my ex.
T: You’ve described the song Flowers For You as an act of showing up with love, even when someone pushes you away. What did you learn about yourself through that experience?
LG: I think nothing is set in concrete, especially in my world and my career. Basically the song is very personal – I thought I was going to get onto a really big tour opening for an artist and didn't think I was going to see my partner for eight to nine months. We had this conversation about the relationship and how I would be on the other side of the world and not going to see him for a long time. We both were just like maybe the way yourcareer is going, maybe we can't prioritize this so we ended up splitting up. But then I didn't end up getting the tour and so I was back in New Zealand. I was working at a hotel restaurant and I remember I was working every single day, super unhappy and felt something was missing. So I sent my ex partner a message saying how are you? I just wanted to check in and he replied with “I'm disappointed”. It was a complete shock because I thought we both were in agreement that this wasn't going to work. What I've learned is that nothing is set in stone and things can always change.
T: This EP brings together an impressive roster of collabs, from Gabrielle Aplin to Eddie Serafica to Joseph Wonda. How did these collaborations shape the project?
LG: I am obsessed with collaborating. I think I can definitely write a good song myself but I think the thing that I've learned through from my peers and fellow songwriters, is don't stop until it's the best version of the song. I don't think an artist is ever really satisfied, but I am very aware that there are better songwriters than me. I will usually bring a concept or a whole song sometimes, or a chorus or just a verse, and see how can we make this better. Whether someone adds two percent to make it just that little bit better or fifty percent I think I always want to put out the best quality music possible. A lot of my music actually doesn't come out because I'm really picky. I think having these incredible collaborators, especially Gabrielle Aplin, Harry Charles and Rita Mae who is one of the best writers I've ever worked, also Caleb from Spacey Jane was also phenomenal pushes me to be a better songwriter.
T: Did writing with so many different creatives help you access parts of your story that you might have not explored alone?
LG: Absolutely, I think collaborating with anyone definitely does because we're in the room, we're having those deep conversations, about very sad, very real current things that I'm going through. Sometimes the writers in the room can normally relate to them in some sense. It’s a very emotional journey, which is beautiful and I'm very thankful to have these people be a part of that.
T: Was there a song on the EP that changed the most during the creative process?
LG: Better Apart changed so much. We had about ten to fifteen different versions of that song and it took two years of nonstop back and forth. I ended up giving up on it, but a member on my team, James Roberts, was persistent and thought this is a great song showcasing a different part of me and my sound. He was really adamant on finishing that song and I'm so thankful because every day that song grows on me, especially performing it live.
T: You mentioned the colour blue being a part of your aesthetic identity. What does blue symbolise for you?
LG: Blue is just like pure sadness and rawness to me especially that deep royal blue, which I really associate with,I just feel like it. I’m looking at all the blue around my room right now… I have a blue duvet cover, a blue pillows, blue bottle of perfume, my background on my computer is blue. I don't know if it's like an ADHD obsessive thing, but blue really resonates with my personality and my music and I also think I look really good in blue.
T: With this new chapter being so personal, how do you hope listeners connect with Say hi to Paula?
LG: If you find yourself in any of my music know you are not alone, I’m here currently going through the exact same thing. In all the sadness there is light and we can go through it together and come out the other end.
T: Were there any artists you drew inspiration from while shaping this EP?
LG: There are so many different artists, a few I've already mentioned, but I love Raye. Her vulnerability, within her music, is just so inspirational to me. I love Tom Odell, I love Sam Smith, I love, Melanie Martinez. I love her visuals. That was a really big inspiration for me. I wanted to create a world with this EP. The visuals are really, really important to me. And just like the photos and the videos and the colours and the colour grading, I wanted it all to be kind of the same world.
T: Do you prefer to write from emotional chaos and real time or from distance?
LG: One hundred percent from real time.
T: What's one line from the EP that encapsulates the heart of the whole project?
LG: I don't know if there is a a single line from the EP that encapsulates the entire project because all these songs are so different. My favorite moment in the EP is probably in ‘Flowers For You’, where it goes ‘Does the dog miss me the way I do? Say hi to Paula cause I miss her too’. I love that line - every time I sing it, I smile, it's beautiful. It kind of, encapsulates the whole idea of that song and the EP. It's acknowledging all the shit that we've gone through, and I hope your mom is okay.
T: What's next for Luca George?
LG: Looking forward to a lot of live shows and opening for artists that I love. I've just moved to the UK so I just want to connect and make friends over here. I want to write more. I've got some new music coming out super sooner than anyone could possibly imagine. I'm just really excited to share everything with everyone.Thank you to all my fans for supporting me and listening to my music and coming to my live shows - excited to see you all in 2026!