INTERVIEW: Harry & The Chicks
Interview by Deirdre Kelly / Photos by Elena Torrano
Graced from East London, is the exuberant pop artist, Harry & The Chicks. Even though it’s commonly masculinized, Harry felt it was important to maintain her identity by keeping her name [Harry] in her brand, while adding the element of an ensemble with ‘the chicks.’ She has characterized ‘the chicks’ as anyone who follows her on her musical journey. After getting to speak with her on her latest single, “Snakes In The Street,” it’s easy to say Noisescape is now a part of the chicks.
Photos by Elena Toranno (@el____na)
You’ve been doing music as Harry & The Chicks for a few years now, what was something that inspired you to start this project?
Well I actually started doing music when I was 12. I had found this local band who were playing music in a tent, covering Green Day, and I thought they were so cool. They were called the ‘Dead Baby Birds.’ After a while of following them & doing my own music, someone asked what I was called. And I really wanted to keep my name [Harry] as a part of it, but obviously have competition when it comes to Harry Styles… Harry Potter…[lol]. So, I thought up Harry & The Chicks!
It’s certainly a universal issue as well. You’ve also collaborated with the app, SafeUp, to help extend resources to other people who may also feel unsafe in public. Was there a particular reason SafeUp stood out to you? What does the app offer?
SafeUp actually followed me on Instagram when I was exploring street harassment accounts, trying to find someone to collaborate with. They have this feature, when you join, that scans your face & detects your voice & later sent to their team to verify that you’re a woman, to avoid any men joining the app. I’m also sure that you could apply if you’re non-binary since it’s reviewed by the team. But the app has a team of ‘guardians’ who are always available to talk to or even call 911 for you if it’s an emergency.
Can you describe the way you’ve integrated your love of fashion into your music career?
Yeah! So, in 2020 I had made a TikTok of some outfits that I designed & it got like 200k views, 22k likes & people kept commenting ‘open up a shop!’ so I was like ‘ok!’. So now I have a shop with items that I designed and my mom makes; everything custom-made. I even had spools of fabric & designs at some of my shows for anyone interested in ordering something at a show, as well as Harry & The Chicks t-shirts.
Your latest single, “Snakes in the Streets,” describes experiences of street harassment & stalking. It’s artfully depicted in the music video as well, but still very unnerving, as I’m sure others have felt. Even when you were in broad daylight with your friends, there were creeps. Did this track pose as an outlet for these anxieties / was it difficult to bring together because of it?
Yeah, so I actually wrote the song about being literally stalked when I was a teenager, so it was difficult at the time but kind of evolved into a song that can also be associated with street harassment. I was catcalled like 14 times on the way back from the studio as well, so it’s definitely something that’s still happening to people & almost everyone I know.
Do you think you’ve found your sound for future releases or is that something you feel is constantly evolving?
Since I’ve only released a few songs so far, I feel like my sound is still evolving. I definitely do enjoy the sound of my latest single the most in comparison to my past releases, though.
What can we expect from Harry & The Chicks for the rest of 2022?
I’m not sure which one I’m releasing next, but either way, the next single is probably going to be a little darker than my past songs. One of them is a song I wrote when I was 14 & most of my friends & family have heard it already. They’ve already been like ‘haven’t you already released this?’ & I’m like ‘no, I haven’t recorded it in the studio yet,’ but for some it’ll be new.
WHERE TO FIND HARRY & THE CHICKS
TikTok | Youtube | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify