After establishing himself with a wealth of riveting delights these last few years, Atlanta-based artist Chris Hart is back for 2023 to deliver his vibrant new single 'RUN'.
Channelling more of that fun and upbeat indie-pop aesthetic he is known for, 'RUN' makes for a wonderfully enjoyable listen throughout. Filled with bright and uplifting textures, a soaring atmosphere, and his own shimmering voice at the helm, he is returning for this year with one of his most impactful offerings to date here.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has inspired him most over the years.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
My first instrument was the guitar. It’s still my main instrument. I got into it after playing the game “Guitar Hero” when I was around 9 years old. I picked up the game mechanics really easily and myself and a friend were able to talk our parents into getting us real guitars to try and learn how to play. After that I was hooked! I started playing guitar every chance I could get and I’ve been doing that ever since, really.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I was really into rock music when I was young because it’s what my mom would listen to in the car whenever we drove anywhere. My mom loved 60’s through 80’s music and then my older brother started listening to 90’s and early 2000’s music so that made its way into the rotation too. So from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to Tom Petty and Van Halen and then Nirvana and Pearl Jam as well as bands like Gorillaz and Coheed and Cambria. I really got a wide range of rock music coming in when I was young.
What was the first album you remember owning?
When I was young I burned a lot of CD’s off my iTunes library, but I do remember actually buying a copy of “Meteora” by Linkin Park that I listened to all the time. It’s funny because the music I make now sounds absolutely nothing like that but I couldn’t get enough of it when I was a kid.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
There’s too many to count! Almost every song I love is one I wish I could’ve written. I think a fun one to think about is “Someday” by The Strokes. It’s just one of those perfect rock songs that’s really pretty simple but started a huge movement in modern music and still holds up today.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I try to treat writing as a school assignment. If I'm messing around on the guitar and find a chord progression I like, I try to sing a melody to it immediately. If it doesn’t come right away I record it on my phone and come back to it later. But if I can get a melody going I just start singing random words until I can find a hook. Once I’m on some sort of track I'll just park myself in a chair and pull out a notebook or the notes app on my phone and I start writing the song. I don’t move on to another thing until it’s done, I can go back and change some things later but if I stop halfway through I tend to lose direction, and I want to make sure that I keep the mojo going . I’ve found this to be a much more efficient way of writing songs for me personally, I can’t write them over time, I have to get into the mindset and stay with it.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I’ve been listening to as much indie music as I can so I'm able to stay in the headspace of the music I want to write. I’ve been really enjoying a lot of female-fronted bands lately too like Beach Bunny, Alvvays, and Hotel Fiction. And I really liked the new boygenius album a lot.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Probably Young the Giant, they’re really my favourite band right now and they have been for a while!
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Being a musician has really gotten me out of my shell, I’m pretty introverted and performing often makes you have to confront that head-on. Mingling with other musicians at shows and open-mics as well as offering myself as a guitar player to singers and playing in bands with people has really made me love music even more. I used to not want to perform at all but now I can’t get enough even if it makes me nervous. I’ve made some really wonderful friends from just getting out and performing as much as I can.
And what is the most frustrating part?
There’s a lot that’s frustrating, the main thing being that there isn’t any set path forward, you just keep going and hope the timing is right that you can make it to another level and then another. That’s what my song “RUN” is about! I just kind of made peace with the fact that I’m going to keep trying and working my way up until I can make this a reality for me. A lot of musicians I’ve met have the same problems, which is actually nice because you have other people to talk to about it.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
“Treat every show like your biggest, because one day it will be.”
-
Chris Hart's new single 'RUN' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.