With each new release, George Collins continues to refine a songwriting voice that is thoughtful and deeply expressive.

His latest single “Houston” takes that craft in a striking new direction, trading autobiographical detail for metaphor, and finding emotional truth in the vastness of outer space. Originally written during a creative retreat in Spain and then later transformed into a piano and cello ballad under the guidance of Grammy nominated producer Jeff Franzel, “Houston” explores the slow drift that can occur between two people who once felt close.

To accompany the single, Collins has released a visually striking video created in collaboration with graphic artist Nancy Razk. It’s a striking blend of imagery and emotion, pairing stark lunar landscapes with the quiet desperation of a relationship losing oxygen.

In this interview, Collins reflects on the unusual origins of “Houston,” the creative partnerships that brought it to life, and the process of translating a song about distance and communication into a powerful visual.

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

Many of my songs have an autobiographical element, but fortunately my haunting new single, “Houston,” does not!

I co-wrote this song with two extremely talented songwriters, Kelsey Grant and Pete Bonne, on a retreat in Spain sponsored by The Songwriting Academy – we were fortunate to be mentored by multi-platinum songwriter Paul Statham.

We were given a brief to write a song about “space,” and after kicking around a number of possible themes we stumbled across the idea of using the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission as a metaphor to describe a relationship on the rocks.

It’s hard to believe that such a dark, harrowing song was written in a beautiful, bougainvillea-filled garden in a tiny white washed village in the hills above Malaga in sunny Spain!

What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

Although “Houston,” was originally written on acoustic guitar, I thought it would make a lovely piano/cello ballad.

So I reached out to one of my mentors, Grammy-nominated composer and producer Jeff Franzel, who did an amazing job arranging the song for piano and cello and producing the track – that’s him on piano and well known classical musician Peter Sachon on cello.

In keeping with the metaphor of outer space and theme of a relationship on the rocks, I knew the video would need a dark vibe, so I reached out to a gifted graphic artist named Nancy Razk. (Follow her on Instagram here

She has made several excellent videos for me in the past, and she has a bit of a darker palette than some other graphic artists I have worked with, so I knew she would be perfect for “Houston.”

What was the process of making the video?

Nancy and I had an interactive and collaborative approach to making this video. I knew that I wanted to video to be Black & White, to have images of outer space and lunar landscapes, to show black holes emphasizing danger and canyons emphasizing separateness, to show a lonely man and lonely woman frustrated and on the verge of breaking up, and also to feature a pianist and a cellist to match the musical accompaniment.

Nancy miraculously found the video footage to illustrate these themes, and through an iterative process we placed the clips to match the lyrics, so the visual and the audio were perfectly lined up. Nancy did an expert job stitching everything together, based on my detailed comments to her extremely creative drafts – she was full of wonderful ideas, and it was a delight to work with her once again. Apart from being grateful to my co-writers and the world class musicians who performed on this track, I am extremely proud of how the video turned out and beautifully brings this dark, haunting song to life.

//

George Collins is a singer songwriter whose work carries thoughtful storytelling with finely crafted melodies. His musical catalogue has steadily grown to include pieces that explore connection, vulnerability and the quiet shifts that shape human relationships.

Collins continues to collaborate with respected producers and musicians who help bring his vision to life. His newest single, “Houston,” adds another compelling layer to his evolving artistic journey.

Keep up with everything George Collins on his Website