Black Lounge's first releases were an entirely solo effort. In 2023, Grant paid for his first-ever studio session in Billericay. Minus the drums, it's all Grant on the project's first releases ("Bickering" and "Doing It Again"). Eventually getting together five songs, the green Grant took them home, and deliberated his next move with his mum, dad, and sister.

"We held on to these songs for a year, and then the first one we released in 2024 was ‘Bickering’, and it was the best decision because it got such a reaction because of the way it sounded exactly like ," Grant recalls. "I remember at the time thinking, 'Oh, I'm getting all this hate, but then it's not really hate. Actually, they're saying it sounds like something they've already heard."

They do indeed sound like the work of someone knowing what he loves and is figuring out his creativity through that template. Releases since still hold his influences dear, but they now expand beyond homage, and the sound feels like Grant finding his feet as George Grant the musician, rather than George Grant the novice. Recent single, "Roommate" has a rousing guitar part picked straight out of the jangling early 00s driving the tale of "the world's worst roommate", while "Sake of a Laugh" is Kooks-y and Libertines-y in equal measure. These sounds are all familiar, but that's what Grant's about – he wants to celebrate the music he loves.

And more importantly, Grant is only just getting started. With his band in tow, he proceeded to start playing shows, gaining as much experience as possible. Shyness about performing has been the biggest hurdle for Grant to overcome. His first step onto a stage didn't come until October 2024. But two years earlier, there was one lightbulb moment prior to this that sowed the seeds for his future.

"I remember I was down the pub one time, and I went to this guy's afters, and he had an acoustic in the corner, and it was all getting a bit messy. I was drunk, and I picked it up, and I played it, and he was like, 'Man, you're actually quite good'.

The two ended up having an emotional conversation, with Grant picking apart his fears around the idea of performing. The stranger – who he still sees out and about in Billericay today – simply told him earnestly, "Just bloody go for it!'"