The music industry, unlike most industries, allows individuals to build a career at a very young age. It is one of the very few arenas that genuinely appreciate one’s talent regardless of who you are and where you are from. This is perhaps why more musicians are making their way into this field without any related background. One such young artist, who has made his mark with his unique rap and hip-hop music, is the 22-year-old Giorgi Okuashvili, who was born in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Giorgi’s father, Zaza Okuashvili, is a businessman, while his mother, Nato Chkheidze, is a member of the parliament of Georgia. With absolutely no music background, he was always passionate about music. His mother recognized the artist in him at a young age and encouraged him to take piano lessons. He enrolled in a music school and earned his first certificate at the age of six. It was there that he found his first musical inspiration: his piano teacher Marina, who taught him the intricacies of the instrument. However, it was not just her that helped him pursue his dream. In fact, from a very young age, Giorgi looked up to his idol Michael Jackson, whose music truly inspired him as a child. “I started listening to Michael Jackson from a young age, and I believe that it never gets old,” Giorgi Okuashvili shared.
As a kid, Giorgi would have never thought that he would establish his own music label or would go on to make amazing music, not just for himself but also for young aspiring musicians discovering their talent. But his journey ultimately led him to it pursue music. When Giorgi’s father moved to the UK for business, he and his older brother, Rati Okuashvili, followed him to complete the rest of their education. Though Giorgi was only fourteen at the time, he had big dreams. He realised that if he wanted to turn his dream of becoming a musician into reality, he would first have to focus on his education. Hence, after completing school, he enrolled at Regent’s University to become an interior designer. It was during his time in college that he met aspiring rappers who he instantly bonded with. They began hanging out and practicing music. Soon, they recorded their first single, titled Trouble Makers. That was officially the start of his journey.
As an emerging artist, Giorgi Okuashvili met a lot of different people from all backgrounds, and he understood that music had no boundaries. However, what held people back was their financial struggles and lack of resources, which ultimately became the reason behind establishing his own music label: G Squad. The goal of his music label is to help struggling and aspiring artists promote their music in front of the entire world so that their talent is recognised as well as appreciated.
Discovering people from all around the world, Giorgi has continued to successfully mix it up at the G Squad – recording a diverse range of tracks such as NOTT-Money, Not on the Table with his basketball rappers in London, at the Soho Sonics Studio in London in 2017. Later in 2018, he recorded Payday with Tobby at his studio in Geneva, Switzerland. Not only that, in 2019, Giorgi had the opportunity to fly to Amsterdam to film his first-ever music video based on his own screenplay and text. “It was a unique experience for me as I have never done anything like it before,” he explained
At the young age of 22, Giorgi Okuashvili is responsible for setting up a label that promotes diversity in music and thus aims to revolutionize the competitive music industry. Although he believes he has a long way to go, his passion and thirst to make a difference will soon get him to his ultimate destination!
