Jamie Harrison is fast becoming a household name in Ireland from busking on the streets of Galway to getting airplay across Irish radio stations.
The Galwegian is about to release his debut single If I Only Knew Your Name and has just finished filming the music video for it.
After a few years of studying Jamie realised his true calling was singing and songwriting and so he decided to pursue his passion and told Goss.ie all about his life, career and plans for the future.
Musician: Jamie Harrison is Ireland’s next big thing | FACEBOOK
Jamie, can you tell us who you are, where you are from and what you do?
My name is Jamie Harrison and I come from a small village in Galway, called Oranmore. I started off as a guitar player and an occasional songwriter, but after an operation four years ago to get my tonsils removed I began singing and writing songs and that gradually became my primary focus.
I usually use the term singer, musician, and songwriter as opposed to the traditional singer/songwriter as I would find it hard not to including the ‘musician’ side of myself in ‘what I do’!
Where and what inspires your music?
I guess when I started off, I was mainly driven by the dream that every young musician has. To be the biggest and best guitarist in the world, to play to thousands of people, to follow in the footsteps of my heroes etc etc. I usually would draw inspiration from just watching my heroes, dreaming about being ‘like them’ and everyone being so impressed haha! But over time, my inspiration has changed quite a bit.
I don’t care as much about ‘impressing people’ as I become more confident as an artist. I guess from having more experiences myself and seeing how we all have good times and bad times, I see where my songs have a place, and that is probably the inspiring place for me, just that burning need to tell people the truth.
Songwriter: Jamie pens his own music | FACEBOOK
You went to UL after school, what did you study and why did you decide to go down the music route?
I studied a year of architecture and two years of PE teaching in UL. It’s a hard one to explain really, because while I made many great friends at my time in UL and had a wonderful time there, I always knew something was wrong. I never felt like I necessarily decided to go down the music route, I felt like I had no choice.
I was having trouble sleeping, I found it hard to eat, I was sick all the time, and I found myself in quite a dark place while I was in University. From that, the only decision I could have made at the time that would solve all these problems was to play music, so I’ve always felt that I didn’t choose to do music, but I couldn’t choose NOT to do it.
What has been your career highlight to date?
I’ve recorded my first single with 3 time Grammy award winning producer, Ken Nelson, who has been Coldplay’s producer and he’s worked with Sam Smith, Paolo Nutini, Stevie Wonder Snow Patrol and loads of others. To be working with the guy who produced some of the tracks I used to try to play as a kid was truly amazing and is definitely a highlight. I couldn’t have dreamt of having my first single being produced by the same producer and it was such a great experience.
On a different side of things, I often consider some of the highlights of my career are when I receive messages from fans who tell me how my music has helped them in some way, sometimes in a small way, and sometimes in a huge way, but either way it really humbles me and reminds me why I make music.
Who would you most like to work with?
Ryan Tedder of One Republic.
Debut Single: Jamie’s single If I Only Knew Your Name is out soon | FACEBOOK
Have you met any famous musicians who have given you support?
I was busking recently in Brighton in the UK and passenger stopped and listened to me for quite a while. He and his producer came over to chat to me and they bought a couple of CDs from me. We talked about music and busking and he gave me some tips and advice from all his years of busking. I wanted to get a selfie but my battery was gone 🙁 (damn iPhone batteries).
Other than that, I’ve a lot of musician friends who have supported me along the way, but not really any famous musicians. Bear in mind, I’ve been keeping quiet the past 2 years or so while I was writing so there wasn’t really any opportunities to meet any famous musicians to be honest.
If I Only Knew Your Name is you debut single, tell us about this track?
So yeah, this was a song I wrote last year that seemed to come together magically – one of those rare ’30 minute’ songs. I guess it refers to those moments that we’ve all experienced where you pass someone on the street or see someone somewhere and for a second everything just stops as you catch eyes.
It also has a more ‘daydream’ element of thinking about who that ‘one person’ is and where in the world they might be. I guess that’s what it meant for me, but of course, it came out of me so fast that it also has other subconscious meanings and interpretations and it’s not really stuck down to one thing.
You are currently filming your music video, how did that come together and what can we expect from it?
We put out the song online and an amazing Director named Nicholas Lam (Who’s shot stuff for Jason Derulo, Bastille, Nicole Scherzinger and loads of others) got in touch and invited me to do a video. He absolutely loved the song and told us he ‘needed’ to make the video for it which was awesome!
Busking: Jamie busks regularly in Ireland and the UK | FACEBOOK
You busk a lot in Ireland and the UK, how beneficial has that been to your career and was it daunting travelling around the UK?
It was daunting at first yes, because I was way outside my comfort zone going off on my own with just my guitar and my voice, but after a while, it became just as much of a home to me as Ireland. Some cities I preferred more than others, and I would stay there longer. Liverpool was a City where the people there have been so good to me. I really feel at home there now and some other cities like Edinburgh have been awesome too.
The X Factor and The Voice are popular singing competitions, did you ever consider going down that route?
No. It’s just not for me. I never considered them really. I don’t like the idea of art being competitive, the whole concept freaks me out a little. I mean, I appreciate the idea that these shows give people opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have, but I’d rather create opportunities for myself by working hard and not giving up.Maybe some day I’ll come around and I’ll see the opportunity for me in them, but for now, lets just say that I don’t think you will be seeing me on The Voice or the X Factor any time soon!
If you had to compare yourself to one artist, who and why?
John Mayer. Real Music. But not so ‘real’ that it alienates people. Real musician, but not always to the point of showing off. Seriously hard working. He’s been a real inspiration for me.
What is next for Jamie Harrison?
Sleep haha!! I’ve been shooting a music video all day and it’s now 2am and I’m up in a few hours to go over the edits with the director! But seriously, I just look forward to releasing the single and later releasing my first EP
Checkout Jamie Harrison on Facebook and jamieharrisonmusic.com for more.
