Meet/Greet Interview: Harper Finn.
New Zealand singer-songwriter Harper Finn today has shared two brand new songs, the lead single ‘Conversations (With The Moon)’ showcasing Finn’s piano-driven abilities in a quirky minor key, contrasted with the more off-beat ‘Teenage Queen’, which was mixed by Kody Nielson.
We caught up with Harper ahead of the releases to discuss his songwriting, the new songs, and what else is to come in the future…
COUP DE MAIN: You grew up with a variety of musical influences - at what point did you decide you wanted to start making music yourself?
HARPER FINN: I’ve been surrounded by music my whole life. I started learning piano when I about 6 and once I got to intermediate and high school I got asked to join various bands. I really loved the camaraderie of being in a band, just jamming, learning covers, even playing at our high school graduation dinner. After a while, I wanted to create my own sounds, so I had a crack at writing my own songs about what was going on around me.
CDM: At what age did you write your first ever song, and do you remember what it was about?
HARPER: I was probably 14 or 15 and it was about someone being constantly on my mind, fittingly titled 'On My Mind'.
CDM: What is it about ‘Teenage Queen’ and ‘Conversations (With The Moon)’ that made you want to release them both at the same time, and as your first release through a record label?
HARPER: 'Conversations (With The Moon)' and 'Teenage Queen', mark a time for me - the end of high school years and the start of uni - they’re snap shots of what was happening and are my own words, music and production. I guess looking back it made sense to have the songs paired together to encapsulate that period of my life. These were songs that I was planning to put out before I started working with a label. It felt good having them on-board and enthusiastic about the songs. They’ve been very supportive of my music.
HOW I FEEL ABOUT MY NEW SONGS COMING OUT...
CDM: What was running through your mind when writing ‘Conversations (With The Moon)’?
HARPER: Writing 'Conversations (With The Moon)' started with me recalling leaving a house party in my neighbourhood. I left early, alone, and walking home through the familiar streets - I was accompanied only by the moonlight. I remember my mind played over the night that was and what I wished had happened.
CDM: How does your songwriting process work?
HARPER: I play the piano every day, it’s a bit of a ritual. Ideas can spring from that and just stuff I’ve been observing. At the piano I may have a chord progression and melody. Lyrics usually come after those two things have formed. I like to finish the song on the piano, it’s good to know I can play it acoustically, before I take it to the computer and cut a demo with some production elements.
CDM: Your bio describes your music like “biting into a pie and discovering delicious, unusual notes.” If your music was a flavour of pie, what do you think it would be?
HARPER: A Cherry Pie (that Agent Cooper would consider damn fine).
MY FAVOURITE PART ABOUT SONGWRITING IS...
CDM: What else do you have planned for 2019 so far?
HARPER: More music, more writing, and hopefully more shows
CDM: What do you think is the difference between a good song and a great song?
HARPER: A good song can last a month or two, a great song can last a lifetime.
CDM: If you could curate your own music festival, who would you want to play and what would the festival be called?
HARPER: Childish Gambino, Christine & The Queens, Rosalía and KAYTRANDA. FinnFest - legit this gonna be a thing one day.
CDM: If H.A.R.P.E.R. was an acronym, what would each letter stand for?
HARPER: Harps And Real Pianos Everywhere Right?
ON MY BUCKET-LIST...
Plus check out Harper’s meet & greet form that he recently filled out for us:
Watch Harper’s music video for ‘Conversations (With The Moon)’ below…
