George

Puppet in a photoshoot for FCPlayboy Magazine, April 2021.

## Overview

**George** (professionally known under his stage name “Puppet”) is a Serbian fancam artist and singer-songwriter. He is part of the Third Generation of fancam artists. George is best known for his visual work and storytelling with his fancam projects.

George started his fancam career in March 2021, releasing his debut fancam “Be A Body” on March 17th. The fancam was a big success, debuting at #3 on the Stan Twitter Hot 100 and later climbing to its peak of #2.

So far in his career, George has placed 10 entries on the STHot 100, eight out of which in the top 10, seven in the top 5, six in the top 3 and one at #1, and has amassed total career sales of 1.780.000 units.

## Career

### Visions Era (March 2021 - April 2021)

George started of his career in March 2021 with the release of his debut single *“Be A Body”.* The fancam was a massive success, debuting at #3 on the charts and climbing to #2 the following week, securing George his first entry, his first top 10 and first top 5 entry at the same time. It was universally praised for it’s futuristic and ethereal visuals, being compared to the works of other fancam artists such as Malibu and Sechito. The fancam was also regarded as one of the most unique debuts in the industry. It spent a total of 9 weeks on the charts, 6 of which were in the top 10. The single also secured George his first Grammy award, when it took home the award for Best Alternative Solo Performance. As of today, the fancam has sold 310.000 units, and is certified 6x Platinum by RIAA.

With the announcement of his debut EP titled *“Visions”* came the second single off the EP titled *“4ÆM.”* The single was released on April 14th 2021, and was immediately praised for it’s visuals and audio-to-visuals synchronization. The fancam debuted at #3 on the charts, moving 198.000 units in it’s first week, securing George his second overall entry, his second top 10 entry, and his second top 5 entry. It climbed to #1 the following week, moving an additional 208.000 units, giving George his first and only career #1 to date. The fancam was a massive success, also topping the Radio Charts for 2 consecutive weeks, giving George his first career #1 on Radio, The fancam spent 5 weeks on the chart. It has sold 461.000 units, it’s certified 9x Platinum by RIAA, and is George’s biggest hit to date.

George released his debut EP *“Visions”* on April 21st, 2021. The EP was met with massive praise, being compared to legendary works such as Sechito’s *“Mugler Woman”* for it’s intricate storytelling and ethereal visuals. The EP consists of 6 tracks, 2 of which were released as singles. It’s the most critically acclaimed project of 2021, with a score of 90/100.

   *“Visions”* debuted at #1 on the album charts, giving George his first #1 project on the chart. It moved 506.000 units in it’s first week, which was the second best selling week of 2021 and the 6th best selling week in history at the time. The EP dropped to #2 in it’s second week, moving an additional 245.000 units. On the week of debut, five out of six tracks from the EP charted on the ST100, three out of which in the top 10. *"Skin",* a non-single EP track, charted at #7, securing George his third top 10 entry. The track is certified Gold by RIAA. Other EP track that charted were *"Know the Way"* and *"Leaves Begin To Fall"*, charting at #26 and #27 respectively, securing George his fourth and fifth entry on the charts. As of today, the EP has sold 806.000 units and is certified 8x Platinum by RIAA, making it one of the best selling projects of 2021. In an interview with the *FCPlayboy Magazine ,* George explained that the story behind *"Visions"* is actually quite sad. He explained that in late February and early March he went through a series of traumatic events, such as an end of a relationship and the death of a friend. Due to this, he says he entered a very dissociative state, and the lines between reality and the hazy world he was living in were blurred for a while. The EP supposedly tells the story of entering dissociation and coming out of it. George has also said the EP was a big part of his healing process, and the personal story behind the EP was one of the many reasons it's so widely loved.

   George's first major inudstry performance happened on the night of the EP's release, which was also the night of the Grammy awards. He delivered a visually stunning performance of his hit fancam *“4ÆM."* The performance was regarded by many as one of the best of the night. He also took home his first Grammy for Best Alternative Solo Performance the same night.

### Hiatus (May 2021 - June 2021)

After the release of the *"Visions"* EP, George announced that he was going to take a break from the industry in early May, cutting the EP's promotional cycle shorter than it was originally planned to be. He voiced that the reasons behind the decision were his need to take care of his mental health, exhaustion and readiness to move on from the era. During the hiatus George took time to start developing the concept for his upcoming debut album. While he was on a break, he was exposed to a lot of Alternative R&B music, which would go on to inspire the album. The hiatus came to it's end after a month and a half, when George announced a droplet single *"Keeping Your Head Up"*, and thus the *"Liturgia"* era began.

### Liturgia Era (June 2021 - February 2022)

The *Liturgia* Era began when George dropped *"Keeping Your Head Up" ,* a fancam originally meant to be the lead single for his debut album, on the 16th of June 2021. The fancam received decent acclaim, debuting and peaking at #2 with 123.000 units. Some time after it's release, George announced the fancam won't be the album's lead like originally planned. It wasn't clear whether it would appear on his upcoming album at all, so it was regarded as a droplet single. *"Keeping Your Head Up"* had a moderately successful run. It has amassed 200.000 units and is certified 4x Platinum. It also reached #1 on the radio charts, making it George's second fancam to ever do this.

Shortly after, George announced the actual lead for *Liturgia,* "*Wait A Minute!".* The fancam was released on the 7th of July 2021 to tons of critical acclaim. It debuted and peaked at #2 on the charts with 166.000 units, and had a very successful run. As of today it has amassed 310.000 units and is 6x Platinum certified. The fancam marked a change in sound and aesthetic for George, which signed the beginning of a new era. Many commended the fancam on it's visuals and flow. *Liturgia*'s next single would be released on the 4th of August 2021. *"Eye of the Storm"* is regarded by many as *Liturgia*'s best single. It debuted and peaked at #2 on the charts with 96.000 units. It was praised for it's fun visuals, message and great editing. However, it was around this time people noticed George's becoming increasingly disinterested in the industry, which would unfortunately lead to *Liturgia's* messy rollout. The third single of the album, *"Lipstick" ,* was released on the 28th of August 2021. It was received very well, many calling it a rock staple in the industry. The fancam debuted and peaked at #3 with 64.000 units. During the fancam's promotion, many noticed George is very uninspired to continue the rollout. He noted he's been struggling to finish the album, saying the state of the industry at the time was very detrimental to his drive to continue creating. This led to a long break that lasted from September 2021 all the way until February 2022. According to George, during this break he had the chance to complete *Liturgia's* concept and story as well as to reignite his passion for creating art.

After months of no news regarding the album's release, the silence was over on the 2nd of February 2022. George stated that the album is finally over and surprised the industry, announcing it will be released within 24 hours. The news took the industry by storm, the long awaited album was finally here. *Liturgia* was released on the 3rd of February 2022. Upon release it received massive widespread acclaim, the critics giving it a score of 92/100. Many regarded it as a contender for album of the year immediately. Much like *Visions ,* the album was praised for it's storytelling and cohesiveness. *Liturgia* debuted at #1 on the album charts with 869.000 units, securing George his second #1 project. With the album, George announced that *Strange,* a fancam from the album, will be the 4th single. The fancam itself is often regarded as George's best, however after it debuted at #16 on the charts, George halted all promotions for the album, stating he was not ready to start promoting again after such a long break, therefore ending the *Liturgia* era. The album had a short but successful run, and as of today has amassed 900.000 units and is certified 9x Platinum, making it George's highest certified project.

## Discography

**Albums/EPs**
 *Liturgia* | February 3, 2022