Musician Gresley was catapulted to fame aged just 15 as one third of New Hope Club, but after touring the world, he’s working independently 12 years later and has found his voice
Leaving a boy band can be daunting, but for Gresley, he’s found his voice 12 years after he entered the music industry. The musician, whose real name is George Smith, toured the world as one-third of New Hope Club, which was signed to Steady Records, launched by The Vamps, and to Hollywood Records.
But over a decade on and having spent much of his adult life in Los Angeles, things are very different for the star, born in Milton Keynes, who admits he’s finally found his voice. “It’s been a huge learning curve,” Gresley told the Mirror of entering the music industry aged just 15.
“We were thrown into sessions, four, five times a week, people three times our ages, telling us how to do something”, he said, adding: “When something as creative as songwriting, there’s no strict way to go about it, you do it in your own process.” Now, though, he’s found his niche and is approaching his career with a different perspective.
For Gresley, when New Hope Club disbanded in 2025, Gresley left Los Angeles and headed back to his childhood home with two suitcases and had no idea when he’d return to the place he’d called his home for his adult life. Before this, the last time George was home was during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was a nice way for me to reground myself,” he said, adding: “Reflect on what I’d done and what we as a collective had achieved. I think it was a great chance to reflect and clear my mind of everything.” However, during this reflection, George questioned whether he wanted to continue as a musician.
He said: “There’s a lot that goes into it, and I wanted to make sure that I really wanted to do it.” But he sat down in his bedroom with his guitar and wrote “a ton of songs,” which he later produced. During this time, he developed his own sound and his story. When he returned to LA, he met up with people he’d previously worked with and sat down to narrow down a list of collaborators to work with on his debut solo record.
“This album is awesome and so special,” he said, adding: “I feel like I’m in a very lucky place at the moment being independent, there’s a lot of support from the New Hope Club fans who are still interested in all of us respectively. I just wanted to get music out. At the end of the band, we didn’t get a lot out.
“I think we did one album in ten years. I’m excited to put out a full record, and it’s just the start of a long arc.” And that album, Songs I Wrote Since She Left, is out now. George wrote the album over three sessions in the UK and Los Angeles. The title came to him, though, flying to LA, and it was unusual for George, who often chooses the aisle seat, but this time he was in the window seat.
“I just went on this rampage of writing more and more songs, slowly bettering every single one,” he said. He added: “The tracklist was one of the first times I listened to it. I wanted to start off the record with Think Of You. There are so many albums in the pop space that start with upbeat or big sing-alongs. This was more of a world-building thing for me.
“I think that was a really cool way to introduce me as an artist, obviously coming from New Hope Club, but now doing a different thing.” George admits that he wants listeners to listen to the album from start to finish, rather than hitting shuffle. Without his former bandmates, all of George’s material is his own thoughts.
“It’s very different,” he said, explaining that he has to “lead” the writing and production process, which has seen him develop more confidence. “It’s ok to have an opinion, and you should have an opinion; if you don’t, you get washed away,” he said, adding, “Over the last three years, I started to grow in confidence and say what I think, and I should say what I think. Now it’s me leading the charge, I can be a lot more open and honest, these stories mean a lot to me, I’m laying my heart out to these people that I’m writing with.”
And although Gresley considers his collaborators among his closest friends, he admits he’s an open and emotional person with them, which has bled into his music. “I’m not afraid of sharing those thoughts and feelings,” he said, explaining that songwriting allows him to explore a side of himself that fans wouldn’t normally see in the media.
While he previously had the backing of a major label, George admits he loves working independently and is learning new skills throughout the process, including producing music and being his own graphic designer. “I feel like I’m in a place now where I have that drive and want to continually better myself,” he commented.
He’s also come on leaps and bounds with his confidence, sharing more on social media and even livestreaming on TikTok regularly. Now, he admits that his record is “great” for where he’s at, mentally and physically. “It’s very time-present for me, where I was around this time last year,” he commented.
Despite performing to over 20,000 people regularly, he admits he would get “nervous and anxious” throughout his time as a musician. “I’m more comfortable with myself now, the music is an example of that, I’m retelling the stories I feel I need to tell, I relate to every word,” he said, adding: “Maybe I didn’t relate to every word we’d done previously. I’m also older.”
Next week, he’ll be hitting the road for the first time as a soloist, kickstarting his tour in Manchester on May 5, before wrapping up on May 12 in London. “I’m a very good balance of both,” he said when asked if he was nervous or excited. He added: “I’m starting to rehearse, it’s going to be awesome. I’m going to have a full album out, hopefully everyone who comes might know a few words.
“I want it to feel like this community. I like the idea of us all being there together, moving as one. I like that in unison feel, I wanted to keep them small, it’s my first shows, I like the idea of it being stripped back and personal, that’s what the record is for me.” For London, he’s adding a drummer to his live band, to have “more of a feel”.
He commented, “I just wanted to do something a little different from what I’d done previously. I’m trying to keep it as raw and live as possible. So I think that’s going to be exciting. And the music’s just very different. I’m excited to get out on the road and play these songs live. I think there’s going to be so many special moments in some of the songs that people haven’t heard yet.”
But how did he come up with his stage name? Spending his musical career as George Smith of New Hope Club, he wanted to change things for his new chapter, and the name was actually his legal middle name. “It gave me a different feel about everything I was doing; it felt exciting,” he said.
With Gresley, he can be an “extension” of himself, a “heightened” version. While it’s his stage name, he’s not expecting those close to him to call him Gresley. Including his girlfriend, Sarah Carpenter, Sabrina’s sister. George first met Sabrina when New Hope Club and the American pop princess supported The Vamps on tour back in 2017.
“I’m not going to my girlfriend, ‘Sarah, can you call me Gresley from now on? I’m not replying to George,” he laughed. George has chosen smaller venues for his tour in order to have the shows feel “more relaxed”, allowing people to let their hair down.
Songs I Wrote Since She Left is available now on all major platforms. Tickets for Gresley’s upcoming tour are also available here.
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