London based singer/songwriter Harry Strange is on the pinnacle of something truly great with his new EP, ‘Something, Hold On.’
Whilst studying at Bristol University, this rising artist has released two EP’s and sold out headline shows in both Bristol and London.Â
We decided to get the lowdown on this rising talent so read on to find out what he had to say...
‘Something, Hold On’ is one hell of a release! Well done! Creatively, what do you find most difficult when writing new material?Â
"Thank you so much! I definitely find it difficult at times to keep evolving my sound in a natural way? I don’t want to be releasing the same song over and over again but I still want to keep some cohesion with my releases. Ultimately I want them to be different whilst still remaining authentic and true to the project."
Do you listen to your back- catalogue retrospectively and think to yourself ‘I need to improve on that with this new release’? Â
"Being completely honest, once a song has been released I will rarely listen to it again. Prior to a release I will often listen to it non stop as a way of imagining what a listener would take from it, however, once it’s out I almost distance myself from it. I will occasionally listen back and it will remind me of that time and I, of course, still love my older material but I just rarely actively listen to them."
What is your favourite thing about producing?Â
"I have some amazingly talented people in my life that I work with and they are just as important as me in the process of creating new music. I usually have a pretty solid idea of the sound/production elements that I want a song to contain but they really bring it to life and add elements that I could never imagine up myself. I’m lucky to have worked with my best mate Duncan (BROOKFIELD) who has produced the majority of my tracks and we almost have this internal language now where he completely understands the production I want without me using any fancy terminology."
And what was it about producing that first got you hooked?Â
"Almost following on from the previous question, working with such talented producers, I feel that I’ve just grown to acknowledge the importance of production? You can have an incredibly written song but I personally feel it’s the individuality that can come out from the production."
Do you ever get anxious when deeply personal lyrics are out there for people to hear?Â
"I get more anxious the first moment I write down the lyrics. It’s this release of something personal onto the paper but once I’ve recorded those vocals it becomes a safe space that is stuck in that moment? Once it’s recorded the bandaid has already been pulled off."
Have you ever written a track where the lyrics got too deep to release?Â
"Not yet! I feel those are the best songs though so I will keep pushing my limits and see how far I can take it."
Much of the EP’s subject matter is based around the beginning of a new relationship. Why was it important to you to cover this topic?Â
"I feel that the emotions that occur at such a time in a relationship pair so well with songwriting due to the intensity of these feelings. Songwriting to me is an in depth exploration of minute moments in time and those first moments of feeling something towards someone are so powerful that they can be explored in so much detail and that’s something I find really interesting to explore in my songs."
You also refer to the transition from being a teenager into adulthood. Do you think it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand and then navigate the expectations of society as a young adult?
"I don’t know if it’s becoming increasingly difficult but I do believe it’s very tricky. I for one have so many expectations that I put on myself, let alone other peoples expectations, that when I don’t meet them it can be really tough. I do feel I’m slowly getting better at attempting to not get so caught up in expectations and trying to settle in the uncomfortable feelings of not knowing."
Having graduated University, congratulations by the way, is music now something that will take up all of your time professionally?Â
"Thank you! It’s mental to have finally finished education and it feels incredible to now have something to chase with all my heart. This being said I do need to actually eat and live which sadly music cannot cover just yet. So I’m now sending off all the job applications to anywhere and everywhere that will take me, so if anyone’s reading this and wants to offer me a job HIT ME UP (plz)."
Thank you for speaking with us! Lastly, what inspires you to create?Â
"Thank you so much for having me. Honestly, I think other peoples creativity inspires me to get creative. It’s like when you hear a song and your mind just explodes it just gets me so excited and try and create that feeling myself."
Listen to 'Something To Hold On To' HERE Instagram: @harrystrangemusic
INTERVIEW BY ALISTER ROSS
Twitter: @ross_alister