With new single “Happiness Looks Good on You,” George Collins offers a feel-good reminder that creativity, family and the everyday moments of life are often inseparable.
Music and parenthood have a funny way of finding each other. Sometimes a child becomes the subject of a song; sometimes they become the reason a songwriter picks up an instrument again. And sometimes, years later, they are standing beside you offering opinions, helping with a music video, or even becoming a co-writer. For George Collins, family has become an important part of that creative journey.
His latest song, “Happiness Looks Good on You,” may not be specifically written about his daughter, but it carries many of the values that have shaped Collins as both a parent and an artist: encouragement, perspective and the belief that getting through the difficult moments makes the joyful ones mean even more.
The song began with Collins looking back over his catalogue while finishing his album New Ways of Getting Old. He noticed that much of his songwriting had leaned towards the melancholic and reflective, which surprised him because, by his own description, he is generally an upbeat and optimistic person. So he set himself a rather wonderful challenge: write something that would make people happy simply by listening to it.
Mission accomplished.
Built around vintage R&B, soul, gospel and a distinctly New Orleans inspired groove, “Happiness Looks Good on You” is warm, playful and immediately accessible. The influence of The Staple Singers is evident here, alongside echoes of Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and The Neville Brothers. But Collins takes those influences and uses them to create something that is inviting and contemporary.
For a parenting audience, there is an especially appealing message at the heart of the song. Collins understands that encouragement is one of the most important things we can give another person. He has spoken about watching his daughter learn piano and seeing her become frustrated when she made mistakes or reached a plateau. The experience reminded him of something every parent eventually discovers: progress rarely happens without the occasional wrong note.
That lesson has found its way back into his own creative life. Watching his daughter work through frustration made Collins more comfortable with his own imperfections, teaching him to be a little more patient with himself when the songwriting process doesn't immediately deliver the result he imagined.
That same generosity runs through Happiness Looks Good on You. The song is addressed not to one particular person but to anyone who has endured a difficult period and eventually found their way back to happiness. It feels like the musical equivalent of a friend putting an arm around your shoulder and saying, Look at you now.
And there is something particularly lovely about the fact that Collins' daughter has become part of his creative world herself. Known as M.M. when she helps behind the camera on his music videos, she has grown from a child occasionally appearing on screen into a sixteen-year-old with a perspective of her own. Collins admits that she keeps him connected to popular culture and occasionally introduces him to the latest Gen-Z vocabulary, a valuable service for any parent attempting to remain remotely current.
It is this blend of family life, humour and creativity that makes George Collins' music particularly relatable. His songs don't exist separately from his life; they grow out of it.
With its joyful groove and gospel infused celebration, “Happiness Looks Good on You” feels like the perfect soundtrack to that philosophy. It reminds us that life won't always go according to plan, that mistakes are part of learning, and that sometimes the best thing we can do, for ourselves or the people we love, is to keep going.
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