Harlis Sweetwater is a soulful singer, guitarist and songwriter passionate about music and creating music with no borders, free from the limitations of genres, styles or trends. "All music is soul music." he says, "If a song is good, then it's good, and should be listened to with an open mind and soul. What's important is, does the song make a connection and resonate with the listener." Harlis Sweetwater is a national touring artist from Orange County, CA. His albums have appeared on Itunes Top 200 Best Selling Albums with songs charting in the Top 200 charts in Ireland, The U.S., New Zealand and Sweden. In February, he released his song "All Tore Up" on Itunes, Spotify and Google Play.
Soulful and gritty vocals take over the speakers as Harlis Sweetwater pours his heart and raw energy into every word. “Oro” boasts a bluesy and groovy rhythmic texture that draws the listener in. Sweetwater’s vocal power and his ability to play with full-bodied tone in a more traditional Chicago blues style is breathtaking. Some of the notes he hits here are truly chill-inducing. The instrumentals are truly genre-bending and exude a ferocious power and sound unlike anything we’ve heard before. Harlis Sweetwater’s music and voice is unapologetic and authentically hard-hitting. We love what we’re hearing from this talented artist and we can’t wait to see what he delivers next!
Check out “Oro” here and read more below in our exclusive interview!
Do you have any favorite notable artists that influence your sound?
There are so many. I feel that, ALL music is soul music. My "sound" is now evolving rapidly and I feel like genres are pointless and only get in the way. I'm finding freedom with having no borders, no limitations and no ceiling. But, at my core, my heart and soul is anchored in American Soul and Blues music. "Oro", however, was influenced not by music but by landscape.
Can you dive into details about the lyrics in “Oro” What was your writing process like?
I was influenced by the desert, and time of day when the sun hangs low in the sky and shadows the hills in different beautiful colors. There is a certain landscape in southern California also that I just love, so the lyrics were meant to reflect that as well as the freedom of two people being completely free and uninhibited in that moment and in that landscape. I wanted more poetic lyrics that were super discriptive. It came to me fairly quickly and I really didn't edit myself or the words. Pen to paper and let it flow. Sometimes that's the best!
What do you hope your listeners take away from your music?
I hope they feel like they have found something fresh and new and different. I'm trying my best (and hoping) to make and put out music like that, and yet relatable. I hope they close their eyes, take a deep breath and hit "play" and lose themselves in the music, listen without prejudice and completely enjoy that moment and the music. I hope it brings a cool vision and feeling for them.
When you're not making music, what do you do? When I'm not making music, I'm thinking about making music. There IS nothing else.
Connect with Harlis Sweetwater on social media
www.instagram.com/harlissweetwater