Harpa is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter that is one to watch. Her sound is on par with the current rock/pop singer-songwriters acts. Her carefully crafted lyrics and strong voice blend to tell stories she is passionate about. As a rock/pop artist she balances both vulnerability and power. The UK based artist gained the attention of DooBeDoo Records and is now a signed writer and artist.
The singer spent a few years just writing and crafting her sound and now she is excited and ready to share this project. Harpa’s debut EP explores her love of poetry and literature and transforms into a world she has built for the listener to explore. Growing Pains can capture the feelings of growing up whether it’s feeling too much, being in love, heartbreak, and anything you might find in between.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Harpa and talking with her about her single and music video for “Hollow,” her inspiration behind the EP, her future plans, and more!
Q&A with Harpa
Q: How has your 2022 been?
Harpa: I took such a big step forward this year, not only releasing my single Hollow back in June but releasing my new EP, Growing Pains! We also played some great gigs and I really felt we’ve got back into the swing of things again after taking a break while I went through a transitionary period. Overall, an amazing year. I also met the love of my life, which is a bonus.
Q: So can you talk about who or what got you into songwriting?
Harpa: I was really into poetry and literature as a kid. So that was my starting point really… It was more my emotions that sparked my interest in songwriting than a specific person. I feel very deeply and had quite a tough time dealing with negative emotions as a teenager, so I started trying to express my feelings through creative writing and then eventually combined my love of singing and poetry together.
Q: You’ve got your sophomore single, “Hollow,” out now. What’s the inspiration and influence behind the song?
Harpa: It was actually a late-night drunken conversation with a friend. We were talking about depression, and I said something along the lines of “I wonder if I’d find life a little bit easier if I didn’t feel so much.” It led me to think a lot about the rather destructive way that I love others, whereby I give everything I have to people who often don’t deserve it and end up feeling empty when they throw it back in my face- and then do it all again anyway. It was quite a turning point in my life; I stopped blaming others for my own misery and started taking some accountability.
Q: “Hollow” is accompanied by a beautiful music video. Can you talk about the creative process that went into that?
Harpa: Well, we’re not millionaires (yet), so we needed to get creative. My manager had a friend whose house was under renovation, so we thought it might be cool to go and shoot something in a derelict house (so I could “watch the dust settle”). It was the perfect location really, a good metaphor for a relationship that had broken down, or the emptiness that the song speaks of. And then I decided to keep switching between emotions, cause I “feel it all.”
Q: That release is from your debut EP Growing Pains. Could you dive into how you landed on that title and what you hope listeners will gain from listening?
Harpa: The song Growing Pains came before the title of the EP. I named it after Growing Pains (the song) because I felt like it summed up the EP perfectly; the EP is quite literally a timeline of my growth. Yours and Hurts to Love You were written way back in 2019 during my last major heartbreak, and Hollow and Growing Pains came in 2021 during a reflective and healing period. All four tracks demonstrate the “growing pains” I’ve experienced as I’ve transitioned into adulthood and attempted to navigate love, heartbreak and depression.
Q: What was the hardest song for you to write for this project and why?
Harpa: Every song on this EP came pretty easily as far as I can recall. Yours and HTLY are quite ancient now, so I’ve forgotten what it was like writing them. Yours was definitely the hardest to produce- we just couldn’t get the sound right for ages. Because of that, the song irks me a little.
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self or young songwriters aspiring for a career in the music industry?
Harpa: Don’t feel to disheartened if you can’t seem to move away from cliches or you struggle to write interesting songs. Good songwriting comes in time, and you can learn a lot by listening to many different artists across all sorts of genres. Broaden your horizons!
Q: What has been your favorite show or venue to play at and why?
Harpa: 1000% The Bodega in Nottingham. One of my all-time favourite music venues and it’s always been a dream of mine to play there myself one day. We did a great little acoustic set there at the start of this year and now it feels so good be able to say “oh yeah, I’ve played the Bodega.”
Q: What does success as a musician and songwriter mean to you?
Harpa: If I’m able to earn a living purely from my music and gigging, I’d be happy. That’s my goal right now.
Q: What are some of your goals – whether musically or otherwise – for 2023?
Harpa: To play some festivals, release my album, and build more of a following. I’m so determined to be heard in 2023 and continue doing what I love.
Reviewed & Interviewed by Katie Power
FOLLOW HARPA:
