Exclusive Interview: Harper Finn Talks Newcomer EP

Harper Finn is a New Zealand singer-songwriter who recently won Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards. Having been exposed to the powerful connection between music and youth culture, Harper’s signature sound defies genres and blends infectious kinetic energy with the twists and turns of adulthood. This summer, he released his debut EP Newcomer and Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with him about the collection.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Harper: My passion for music came when I was thirteen or fourteen. Kids in my high school learned I could play instruments and invited me round to their houses on the weekends to play with them and join their bands.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Harper: My mother has had a big influence on me. She used to work at MTV and would review music. From a young age, I would drive in the car with her and she’d play me all kinds of music from Run-DMC, the Clash, and A Tribe Called Quest. She is my go-to for music recommendations to this day.

PC: You’ve said in previous interviews that the live stage is a testing ground for you. What have you learned from performing live that you’ve been able to apply to your career as a songwriter?
Harper: To be conscious of how music fills a space or a room. I find it really important to play the music I’m working on loud and move around, hearing it from multiple distances, talking over it, etc., to see how the song exists in the material world and not just in your head.

PC: What is your songwriting process like? How has it grown and evolved throughout the years?
Harper: My songwriting process remains pretty much the same—always starting on the piano or guitar. I want the song to have a strong connection to these instruments because I find the best songs are the ones that can be stripped down to the bare essentials and still sound great.

PC: Your debut EP Newcomer is out now! What inspired the collection?
Harper: My life over the past few years. I’ve been lucky enough to go to a lot of places and meet all kinds of people. This fuels my creativity. I want to always capture and record these moments. I know I’ll listen back one day and it will be a time capsule of this period of my life.

PC: If you had to pick a song off of Newcomer that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Harper: I’d probably say “Conversations (With the Moon).” It’s one of the earlier songs I released, but I am still very attached to that side of myself. I wrote and produced it by myself, so it feels like a complete and honest reflection of who I am as a songwriter and producer.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2022, what can fans expect from you?
Harper: Hopefully, you’ll be able to see me on a stage near you! After the past couple of years, my longing for the stage has grown stronger. I want to make up for lost time!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Harper: I have random music taste. [laughs] Perhaps OG Katy Perry?

PC: First album you bought?
Harper: I think it was Flight of the Conchords.

PC: First concert you attended?
Harper: Would have been my father’s concert when I was one or two years old.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Harper: Currents, Tame Impala. The first album I remember that I was really anticipating. I had a countdown to the release date. I have probably listened through it over a thousand times.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Harper: Radio City Music Hall.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Harper: Humor.

To keep up with Harper, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up or listen to Newcomer today.