1. The First Song I Wrote
I still remember first song I ever wrote. It was a joke song, and I wrote it with a friend of mine before I even properly got into music. It was called ‘I Ate A Sandwich Off The Floor And Now I Can’t Breathe’. I can still remember the whole thing.
2. The Last Song I Released
The last song I released would probably be the latest single from my new album Smoke Fire Hope Desire. That single is called ‘Hope’. Like the rest of the album, it was all produced, recorded and written by me in my bedroom studio. It’s a hip hop/rock song with a message of empowerment at the heart of it.
3. Songwriting Secrets
Someone wise once said, “A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.” This helps me with focus. You can go way overboard with the production, instrumentation and recording aspects, but without a proper song at the core, you ain’t got much. It also helps me focus on releasing my best of the best stuff.
4. The Song That Makes Me Proud
‘Red & Blue’. This song makes me proud because of all the barriers that it knocked down for me personally, and within the industry. It was my first song to be playlisted on radio in 2014, despite being completely un-radio-friendly (at the time). It helped me achieve so many things.
5. The Song That Changed My Life
‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ by Buddy Guy. I remember seeing a video of him performing this classic at a festival in 1970. This concert was on a TV music channel (I think it was Max) back in the day and I happened to catch it. I was just getting into music, and it was before I discovered Jimi Hendrix. Seeing and hearing him perform this completely blew me away. It made me want to learn guitar.
Harts plays the Metro Theatre on Friday March 3.
