Produced by a Girl Artist Interview -
Harpa
Growing Pains
Hi! What was the inspiration behind “Growing Pains”?
I think I just woke up one day and realised I’d become an adult, and I remember feeling a great sense of disillusionment with adulthood and womanhood. I was going about my life with all of these “grown-up” responsibilities, dating men, working my ass off, all the while not realising I’d grown up. I still feel very much like a young girl inside, and I think I expected the world to keep treating me as such. Life isn’t so gentle to you as an adult, and men treat you with such little care- the latter of which I particularly didn’t expect.
Your vocals and range are incredible! When did you start singing/songwriting?
Thank you! Its taken a lot to get to where I am now, you have to really work on strengthening your vocals, so that’s always nice to hear. I started singing at a very young age, probably as soon as I could talk, and I had vocal training in my early teens. Songwriting for me was just a natural progression from writing poetry in my teens, but my songs only started to have real meaning in my 20s. Ernest Hemingway was, in fact, right when he said “In order to write about life you first must live it.”
What was the most memorable part of making this album?
The completion of Hollow was really a definitive moment in this process. Hollow just set the sound and feel of the EP, it’s such a strong track and gave us the motivation to complete Growing Pains (the track) with more voracity.
What’s your biggest dream in your music journey you’re looking to come true?
If I can do music full-time and earn a living from it, I’ll be happy. I also want to play live with a full band, which should come to fruition in the near future!
Please explain your creative process.
I usually get a word or phrase stuck in my head, and I get a feeling that I have to write it down and try and form a song around it. Sometimes it just pours out of me, other times I have to let it sit for a few days or weeks and come back to it. But there’s always some strong emotion behind my songs, both good and bad, so I always make sure the words are coming from the heart and I’m not forcing it. I usually come up with the melody while I write, and then I present my ideas to my pianist/producer, who will come up with something more intricate for me.
What’s an average day like for you with music?
Spending hours after my full-time job in the studio! Being a musician isn’t as glamorous as people think, you have to put a lot of work in behind closed doors, and not just for the actual tracks! There’s video shoots, photoshoots, getting content for social media, and writing new stuff. It can be quite hectic.
What’s your favorite performance been and why?
We recently played the Bodega again for Beat the Streets in Nottingham. I absolutely adore that venue and the crowd was amazing. We got a good buzz going and I just felt like I really connected with the audience.
Do you have any big projects or shows coming up?
We’re looking in to playing a few festivals this summer and working on my album, so keep your eyes peeled.
What are you working on next?
We’ll be releasing a new single mid-Feb! Super exciting but I can’t reveal too much yet as we haven’t officially announced anything…
What does the term Produced By a Girl mean to you?
It means championing women musicians and celebrating the hard work we put in to making music. Its so refreshing to see such talented women receiving the accolades they deserve in recent years, but this industry is still dominated by men and we need to keep fighting to be heard and taken seriously!
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