About a year ago already, I had a brilliant day in De Groeverij – a small record store in Houten, where four musicians recorded a session. The first was Katherine Priddy, there’s two more on their way, but today I’m happy to finally post George Boomsma’s session. Boomsma, who tours and plays as Priddy’s guitarist and backing vocalist, is also a gifted songwriter on his own and recorded Ron Sexsmith’s Sneak Out The Back Door, Nick Drake’s Place To Be and his own Cashmere Grey, featuring Priddy.

George Boomsma is a singer-songwriter from Northallerton, North Yorkshire who’s spent the past decade developing a sound that moves between warmth and melancholy. His voice and guitar work draw listeners into songs about relationships, family, self-acceptance, grief, and the uncertainties we all navigate – the kind of subjects that feel both personal and familiar at once.

“Ron Sexsmith has such a brilliant way with melody and words that I just love.”

Boomsma explains his connection to Ron Sexsmith: “One of my favourite singer-songwriters, Ron has such a brilliant way with melody and words that I just love. I’ve always been drawn to this tune for its simplistic nature, while managing to expertly convey a feeling that resonates with many people, myself included, of wanting to ‘sneak out the back door’.”

“It’s Nick Drake, not much more to say really is there.”

And then there’s Nick Drake. Boomsma says: “We all have those songs whose lyrics seem to have been written just for us, and this is one of mine. It’s Nick Drake, not much more to say really is there. Influenced by Nick’s finger-picked demo version, this is my attempt…” It’s telling that he trails off there. Some songs don’t need explanation – they just sit inside you and stay. Drake’s Place To Be has that quality of feeling both deeply personal and somehow universal, like he’s written the soundtrack to a memory you’re still trying to understand. George’s version follows Drake’s demo approach, keeping it sparse and letting the finger-picking do most of the talking.

New single ‘You Said’ out now

George Boomsma has recently released his new single You Said. Listen on YouTube.

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Keep watching

Thank you for watching and enjoying this session. You’ll probably like these other sessions from The Influences’ archive too.

2025 George Boomsma Katherine Priddy the influences