June 23, 2023 |
Southampton-based R&B singer Saint Harison deserves a spot on your radar. By pairing beautifully melancholic vocals with tear-jerking lyricism, he has managed to garner recognition from industry heavyweights such as SZA and Justin Bieber, as well as rising stars Jazmine Sullivan and Summer Walker, despite this infancy of his career. Releasing his heart-shattering debut single ‘Why Didn’t You Call???’ in November 2022, the wistful melody – which draws on that oh-so-familiar feeling of waiting for a message that never comes – has already amassed over four million plays on Spotify alone.
Since then, Harison’s discography has gone from strength to strength. Three months ago, he dropped ‘Homies‘, an emotive account of the blurred lines between friends and lovers featuring soulful powerhouse Tiana Major9. In May, he released his first EP, Lost A Friend. A 7-part saga underpinned by his initial releases, the offering reverberates between the sultry beats of newer songs such as ‘TMF’, laid-back bop ‘Ego Talkin’’ and ‘James (Bleeding Alone)‘ – a deeply poignant ballad about almost losing a loved one. The tracklist then transitions to ‘Lost A Friend‘, detailing the slow disintegration of a close relationship, and culminates with the piano-infused ‘More Weed, Less Friends’ which cements Harison’s status as a certified crooner.
One of Harison’s most impressive qualities is his ability to lay his experiences completely bare and be vulnerable for his audience – and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Touching on familiar themes like self-discovery and heartbreak, the emerging talent allows his audience to therapeutically feel the pain with him. It’s unsurprising then, that the artist’s musical awakening came after listening to Adele’s heartbreaking track ‘Chasing Pavements‘, which made him want to “be the artist he needed growing up”.
Here, we sat down with Harison to talk all things Lost A Friend, pre-gig rituals and how his British heritage has influenced his sound.
1. Do you have any pre-gig rituals?
“Normally just a lot pacing around and trying to see how many people are in the crowd. But the usual is honey and lemon tea and some funny TikTok videos.”
2. Tell us a bit about Lost A Friend. How were you feeling when you produced the EP?
“Lost A Friend was a near two year process – the narrative of the project wasn’t planned, it kind of all just came together as I was choosing the best songs and there was a clear theme running through those records. I just remember being so ready to start writing music. I’d also never worked with any producers or writers before I started making this project, so I was just so excited to create.”
3. Can you talk us through the new music video for Lost A Friend?
“So the video for Lost A Friend is a one take of me singing the song whilst getting a tattoo. I have so many tattoos and a lot of the time I just get them when I’m sad or down. When the idea came about to have a live tattoo in the video it was an instant yes. It made so much sense to me to talk about such a heartbreaking experience whilst getting the song title tattooed on me. Shoutout to Inko The Ink God for making it happen!”
4. What song from Lost A Friend means the most to you personally? Why?
“Such a hard question because they all mean so much in different ways. I feel like my current favourite is ‘Ego Talkin”. Writing that song was such a therapy session for me and now that it’s out in the world and people are resonating, I’m like, okay get it – sometimes we have ego problems and that’s okay.”
5. Lost A Friend tells the story of a life-changing relationship. Can you tell us about this experience and why it inspired an EP?
“It was really just what was going on at the time. I didn’t really know what I was writing about, I just took it day by day and dealt with the feelings I needed to deal with in whatever session I was in.”
6. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
“Huge night owl, probably still awake at 3am!”
7. Growing up with a love of musical theatre and a musical diet of R&B, Soul, Motown and Pop, what/who are some of the songs/artists who have shaped your sound?
“Definitely Jazmine Sullivan. I think her vocal performance on her records are so captivating, and it can be a real challenge to portray those emotions on a record but she just does it so effortlessly.”
8. What are the elements of your go-to aesthetic when it comes to dressing?
“Lots of ripped and baggy pieces to hide my sins lol. No, I love Tokyo streetwear and brands who just push the boundaries of fashion.”
9. How would you say your British heritage lends itself to your sound?
“I was inspired so much as a kid by so many British artists. Amy Winehouse, Elton John, Lily Allen. The fearlessness in the music those artists created is something I strive for when writing my records.”
10. What does the rest of 2023 hold for you?
“I’m hoping… lots of shows, writing more music, working with more people and maybe more collaborations!”
Photography courtesy of Saint Harison.
