Harry Egan is a 20 year old singer and songwriter hailing from San Francisco, California. Harry writes and performs pop music with a little classical twist. Influenced by some of his biggest idols, including Jack Antonoff, Lorde and Hozier. Harry Egan creates music to make people feel a connection that makes them happier because of it. Harry Egan released his single titled “Temporary’ off his album “What I Learned” and it immediately begins with a progressive and melodic piano chord that helped set the foundation for the song. Harry Egan reminds me of vocalists like Sam Smith, who know how to send chills through your body with their moving voices. Harry Egan has a special voice where you can really hear it carry through a stadium. It makes you anticipate to hear him perform live due to the sensation he gives you. “Temporary” gave me a special unique feeling not many songs can give me and that’s not only due to the curated tune but Harry’s captivating vocal resonance that shakes you to your core due to the amount of skill and transitional dynamics his range is possessed with!
Listen to Harry Egan's new album "What I Learned" here on Spotify.
Harry where do you find most of your songwriting inspiration from?
I find my songwriting inspiration from allowing myself to be unapologetically personal in my music. The actual song idea comes from the important moments in my life that change me. Those moments take up a lot energy and space in my head, and so when I start to write them down on paper or play it out on the piano, it feels therapeutic. When I’m completely honest in my music, it inspires me to continue to work on it, to stay up until 5am to find the right sound. I’m also someone who highly analyzes situations, and after a very emotional experience you can usually find me on a walk at 2am thinking about it, but when I come home I usually have the hook or the voice memo to work from.
Tell us a little bit about “Temporary” and the meaning behind the song?
“Temporary” is an ode to my high school years. I spent a long time in high school dreaming of getting out and dreaming of becoming this “new person” in my head. When there were moments of losing love or losing time, I always saw it as only temporary because this was just one part of my life and it was all building blocks to becoming the person I was supposed to be. Looking back on that mindset and writing Temporary two years after I graduated taught me to stop and focus my energy on being in the present. I think being 16 and in high school, you are always going to dream bigger and there is something very exciting about that, because you have all this time to fantasize and daydream. All of the beautiful moments, emotional growing pains, and adolescent hope is in Temporary and it really encapsulates the four years of my teenage years that I never want to forget. I have a very positive and different mindset of life now, but I never want to forget those memories because they are always going to be important to me.
Are you vocally trained? Or does this come natural for you?
I am vocally trained but I didn’t start voice lessons at first. I started performing in musical theatre shows when I was in the fifth grade, and it brought this wonderful joy in my life. I couldn’t explain it, I just simply loved being on the stage performing. After that, my Mom offered to enroll me in voice lessons in San Francisco, and I started studying with Victor Cervantes and I am so grateful every day for that moment. I began by singing my favorite covers I would hear on the radio to school, and learned how to focus so much time on something you love.
How would you describe your music style and aesthetic?
I write music to make people smile. My songs usually come from a very sad place, but when I perform and record music I strive to turn it into a celebration that we can all smile to. Life is too short not to jump around and dance about your feelings. My songs have such a serious and emotional place in my heart, but I don’t want to make the music always feel that way, because there is such a beautiful joy in writing and creating music. I use sounds to create an energetic and electric feel when I perform, and that’s how my head feels when I write, there’s just a million thoughts going on at once and I want to tell you all about it.
Tell us a little bit about your album “What I Learned”?
“What I Learned” feels like a coming of age album, but I describe it as a “coming to terms” album. Writing this music was a very reflective time in my life, and it all started one night at the piano talking to my Mom about the music that I was writing. I’ve always believed that every moment in life can be special and that everyone experiences this, that’s what gives us all an identity. Every experience is important, whether it was positive or negative, because if you look for the lesson in those moments you can always learn from it. The heartbreak, happiness, loss, and love we all experience is what makes us who we are. Every song deals with the experiences that I learned from and what I believe have made me into who I am. From the high school drama of “Temporary”, my first love song in “Spent Too Much Time With Me”, or the late night thoughts that turned into “Somebody’s Listening”, these songs are from experiences that mean a lot to me. I released the album on my 20th birthday exactly for this reason. I wanted to release these stories when I turned 20 so that I could move on with my life, but never forget what made me who I am.
What's next for you through 2019?
I’m very excited for what’s coming in 2019. I’m currently in the process of recording my second album, recording each night and constantly working to make these songs truly reflect my story. I have two new singles from the album coming out in May, the first entitled “Effect Me” and the second track called “I Know”. Both of these songs feel like a new journey into my musical identity, and it really excites me to work on the album. I’ve also been collaborating and co-writing with singer/songwriters and artists for their own music, and those songs are coming out this year. I’ve found such a love for songwriting and everyday this year I’ve been writing more and it feels like a very new and exciting time in my life.
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