New voices-Harper

One young girl, moving to a big city to chase her dream. At the age of 16  Sam Harper (Harper) left her home in  the small town of Caerphilly in Wales to pursue her dream in exciting London. Being the new kid on the block , she was approached by popular production duo Eagleye. She was quickly signed to ICU records and spent 2013 in the studio working on her debut EP ‘Velvet’. Not wanting to rush her debut EP, Harper took the time she needed to let her creativity grow, develop her sound and polish her performance. Now released, Harper is ready to show the world what she’s all about. Writing genuine, honest and emotionally-driven songs inspired by her experiences of following her dreams, this EP showcases a diverse canvas of music ranging from pop and folk to rock and dubstep. Harper tells us more about her influences and inspirations as she moves forward in her musical journey.

“Many artists claim to write about their relationships or events that they’re been effected by. As much as I enjoy using song writing as an emotional outlet, I don’t always write from experience. Sometimes I like to think of interesting words or concepts and then build a story around them. I’ve got quite a limitless imagination; the trouble is knowing when you’re getting carried away” says Harper. “My production team know when to reign me in and remind me that we’re writing Pop songs, not short stories!”

The 19 year old Westminster University student ­­­speaks on how she has many musical influences, stating “The answer to that question changes every time with the arrival of a new artist I take a liking to, but there are only a few I can say really shaped my development as an artist and as a young person growing up.  At university I fell in love with Bjork and Radiohead, discovering new types of music that were exciting to me. I’ve been very influenced by Sia, her songwriting is innovative and she has the most incredible voice.”

Harper has chosen three of her favourite heart break songs for us:

Radiohead- Codex

I find this song really calms me down. Thom Yorke is a genius at creating melancholic masterpieces.

Lykke Li- Possibility

This song haunted me after hearing it for the first time. I think I value it most as a heartbreaking record because of the lyrical content. The words are few but deep and hard hitting.

Coldplay- Fix you

When this track came out I was a hormonal teenager trying to understand why he broke up with me or why she was mean to me. My favourite line being ‘when the tears are streaming down your face’.