Q&A: Exploring Vulnerability and Creative Growth, Corey Harper Talks Upcoming Album ‘Future Tense’
CHANNELING EMOTIONAL DEPTH INTO SONIC LANDSCAPES — LA–based singer-songwriter Corey Harper is unafraid to share his world through his voice. A storyteller at heart and a born performer, Harper is set to release his newest album, Future Tense, on Sept. 23. A genuine and heartfelt reflection of his personal life, romantic relationships, and lessons learned, Harper bears it all with this latest work. Deeply meaningful and lyrically impactful, this 11-track album further establishes Harper as an artist to watch within the alternative pop-rock scene.
Having opened for big-name artists such as Justin Bieber, Niall Horan, Julia Michaels, and Noah Kahan, Harper has made a name for himself while crafting a melodic style unique to himself. Drawing inspiration from the music that shaped him as a child, he blends his masterful guitar abilities with songwriting that touches the soul. His recently released single off the album, “Still Need To Love You,” is atmospheric, intimate and delicately personal as he explores his past relationship within the public eye. The additional tracks on the album equally match the high-quality production and skillful acoustics. Ongoing themes of love, loss, and self-exploration flow seamlessly throughout Harper’s discography.
Songs such as “Villain Of Your Story” are poignant and sincere with genre-fluid rock sensibilities and earnest vocals; others such as “Tickets” are upbeat and fun-loving. Deeply introspective and tenderly reflective, Harper’s Future Tense feels like a love letter to the experiences that shaped him as an individual and artist.
Read below as we chat with Harper about the stories that shaped his music, collaborating with household name musicians, and honest songwriting.
Photo by Tim Grupp
LUNA: How would you describe your music to those who may be unfamiliar?
HARPER: I would say it’s a mixture of the music I like to listen to, the music I grew up on, and the music I like to make. It’s rooted in the music my parents liked and I grew up listening to. The music that I make, overall, is sort of my impression of myself.
LUNA: That’s very interesting — so you pull inspiration from different elements from your life and other musicians.
HARPER: Oh yeah, all the time. I'm a big fan of The 1975. I love their music — it very much shaped a lot of the sounds and songwriting that I like to do. I grew up listening to John Mayer, so the guitar and solo stuff. Phoebe Bridgers — she’s amazing. It’s always changing.
LUNA: For sure. It’s cool how you’ve been able to draw inspiration while also crafting a style unique to yourself. How did you first come into music and performing?
HARPER: There’s all these photos and videos of me as a baby, you know, hitting my dad's guitar with, like, drumsticks. I just wanted to make sounds. I was always a sound-maker. Anything that made a specific sound I was really drawn to as a kid. I listened to my parents' music and developed my own tastes. I picked up a guitar and got really serious with it when I was 7 or 8 years old. And then I started writing my own songs when I was about 14/15. I've always been obsessed with music.
LUNA: You’ve made a name for yourself opening up for some very big-name artists — tell about this.
HARPER: Yeah, I opened for Justin Bieber, which was crazy because I idolized him as a kid. I thought he was so cool. I always felt this weird connection with him, which is funny. Especially because when we met, we were like, “Damn, we feel like long lost brothers or something.” We have sort of similar personalities and views on life and became good friends because of that. It was the right scenario at the right time. It was such a gift for me to see who he is outside of the Justin Bieber franchise that he’s built and to get advice from someone who’s gone through a lot. I was able to open for Niall Horan — he’s always been a good friend of mine as well who I met through Justin. I was opening in a band with Cody Simpson for a long time, and talk about talent — his mind is so powerful. Meeting Noah Kahan was a big life change. He’s one of my best friends, and we started collaborating together.
LUNA: That’s awesome — I can imagine collaborating with others has also helped you find yourself as an artist in the process.
HARPER: Oh definitely.
LUNA: Your album Future Tense is set to release on Sept. 23 — congratulations! What can we expect from this album?
HARPER: The depth of the music is beyond anything I've done before. It was done with some of the best musicians and producers I’ve ever met over the course of two years. That paired with what I was going through at the time, and the songwriting I wanted to showcase will hopefully solidify in people’s minds that, “Wow, this is the artist we knew Cory could be.”
LUNA: Definitely. It’s interesting because many of the songs are upbeat, yet the lyrics portray the depth and vulnerability that you intended. Tell me about your songwriting and creative process.
HARPER: I was working with Alex Levy and Ethan Schneiderman, who produced the album. We wrote the first song, “Villain of Your Story,” with Noah Kahan in the studio. That song is the focus track of the album, which then led to the creation of the album. The creative process for me… is being very patient with myself, not trying to rush. But also taking bits and pieces of my life, things I’ve struggled with mentally and relationally. It might be a certain scenario that’s hard to put into words, so I’ll put it into music. And storytelling — I love telling stories. So putting it in music is great. A lot of the time I'll start off with just an acoustic guitar — I'll sit on my bed and just start playing chords, and I'll just open my mouth and let something come out and go from there. I definitely surprise myself sometimes with what comes out of me, a rush of emotions and feelings. Then I’ll take it to the studio and dissect it with my producers and create a more sonic landscape around it.
LUNA: Talking about the element of storytelling, you recently released your single from off the album, “Still Need to Love You.” What does this song mean to you?
HARPER: Yeah, it was written about five years ago. I was going through something hard at the time. The girlfriend I had at the time, we’d had a time together when we first met that was unbelievable. Kind of… a by-chance meeting. We started having this relationship together that got very confusing and then disappeared. Months later when I thought I was over it all, I realized there were a lot of unresolved feelings I wanted to give this person that I wasn’t able to. I think a lot of people feel that in relationships — when you think you’re over someone and then you’re sitting in a hotel room watching Gordon Ramsey on TV suddenly wishing they would text you.
LUNA: That’s certain to resonate with a lot of people. In terms of these challenges you’ve faced, how have you grown as an artist through your musical journey?
HARPER: Well, I’ve definitely grown sonically — I’m able to work with people who are at the top of the game. I’m able to pair my songwriting and playing ability with people who are able to produce in a way that transcends. As a songwriter, having a lot less fear. I’m writing about things that are visible to the outside world. I used to write about stuff that people couldn’t see — things on the inside. You’d think that would be harder to write about but it’s actually a lot harder and sciarier for me to write about what people can see. But it gives my music truth.
LUNA: Yeah, I can appreciate that. So what’s next for you? In the future, where do you envision yourself?
HARPER: I’m going on tour in the winter. I’ll definitely be recording more music, but right now I really wanna focus on getting back out on the road, on the stage in front of people. That’s all I wanna do, from the time I was a kid. I’m a performer; it’s what I love.
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