Heather Harvin – Dang Bae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artist Name: Heather Harvin

 

Song Title: Dang Bae

 

Genre: R&B

 

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Heather Harvin – Dang Bae

 

Heather Harvin is a singer/songwriter born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a graduate from the American Musical Dramatic Academy College and Conservatory in Los Angeles. There, she worked extremely hard to perfect her vulnerable yet energetic style. While at AMDA, she became an originating member of pop vocal super-group, “23:00.” 23:00 is most known for performing at The Hollywood Holiday Parade (televised on The Hallmark Channel and The CW Network). Heather is currently making her mark as a singer-songwriter, creating and collaborating with today’s up and coming. Follow Heather on Instagram and Snapchat (@HeatherHarvin) to see and hear the latest!

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Discuss the relevance of social networking to music.

Social networking is the perfect platform to not only showcase your music, but validate its intimacy. As creatives, we take a leap of faith by sharing our most personal and intimate moments through our music. Social networking really enhances the fear and excitement of exposure. Exposure is the want for music.

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Go into detail on why you decided to choose music as a career.

At a very young age music was intriguing and it just felt right. I saw how it made me and those around me happy, and I liked that! Music has always been there for me and has never let me down. When I’m heartbroken, music patches the holes. When I’m celebrating life, music is sitting right next to me. Music understands me more than I understand myself. I can express my feelings and fears through music in a way that is not only therapeutic but very inspiring. I LOVE engaging with people and I love that I can share my music to really connect with them. A career is a calling! And I wholeheartedly believe that my calling is to change the world through my music!

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Brief us the feedback you are getting from fans on your music.

My fans really enjoy my love songs. They like the raw emotion and the simple lyrics because it’s relatable. I often hear, “Girl I know what you mean in that song” or “Yes girl I feel the same way!” So this song “Dang Bae” was an instant like amongst my fans. They quickly vibed with the groove and story of the secret love interest.

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Tell us how you record your song.

With this song, I was so inspired by the beat, that lyrics and melody came instantly. I started recording right away, starting with the verse (which I never do) and then flowing into the pre-hook/hook. Everything was coming to me naturally. We (I, my engineer and producer) recorded this song in one sitting with no breaks. We were all unified on the progression from start to finish.

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Tell us the story behind the song.

‘Dang Bae’ is the confession of a hidden interest. At the time, I was secretly into a guy and never said anything to anyone out of fear. Sometimes I’d find myself staring at him from a distance, trying so hard to stay calm every time I saw him. I was always thinking about him, constantly wondering if he felt the same. In my brain, we had this unspoken connection and I wanted him. So I figured what better way to release all my emotions and thoughts, than through music.

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State your musical skills.

I’ve been studying music for a long time LOL. I went to a performing arts high school as a classical music major. Sight-singing is a strong suit of mine. I was actually training to be an opera singer and studied at Washington National Opera, but then plans shifted and my dreams of becoming a pop star took over!

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Tell us how long it takes to complete a song from the start.

Each song varies, but typically it takes me two days to start and complete a song. I get in obsessive mode and won’t stop until a good CHUNK is completed within that first day.

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Go into detail on how you develop your lyrics and melody.

I typically develop the melody first (establishing a topic based on the mood of the music). I start humming and riffing to the track, seeing what fits. Then I start mumbling words to center around the topic. Majority of the time I start with the hook because it’s easier. Once I get a good melody and some words going, I decide on the starting line of the hook and the finishing line. Then I work my way in between with lyrics. The verses come next, and I constantly remind myself to show my story with words. The very first line tends to be the hardest because it is what you hear first. I really spend some time on that first line making sure it hits hard! With every song I’ve always ended with writing the bridge, it’s the part of the song that requires the most creativity. I challenge myself to keep it unique and uniformed with the other pieces of the song. Once each section is locked in, I record them on my phone and recorder to use as a reference for live performances and upcoming recording sessions.

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State your five favourite genres of music with reasons.

Jazz because – improv and musicality is highly appreciated.

 

Soul – because it requires so much passion and grunt while performing.

 

Musical Theatre – because it stretches the singer to use all three parts of their voice (belt, mix and head voice).

 

Pop – because it’s good to stay current with what’s in and what’s dated.

 

Country – because it’s songwriting at its finest!

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Describe the chemistry between you and your fans during a live performance.

I LOVE interacting with my fans live. I have never once sung a full song without connecting with a fan. Sometimes I’ll even have them take over and sing their hearts out. I am very grateful for my fans. Therefore, any opportunity I get to love bomb them and make them feel special, I’m taking it. I even like to share my music with some of them before it’s released to get their feedback. Why? Because I value their support.

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State your artist’s name and elaborate on it.

My artist’s name is my real name, Heather Harvin. My mother named me Heather because it went well with Harvin. She said she knew I’d be a star one day and wanted to give me a name that would be memorable. Ironically, a lot of my friends and colleagues address me as Heather Harvin. It’s very rare for someone to simply call me Heather.

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Discuss your rehearsal.

My rehearsal is very focused. I run it as if I’m at the actual performance. I come in with a pre-planned agenda ready to go, already warmed up. I always start with a prayer to get my spirits in the right place. At the end, I enjoy some freestyle and improv to release any extra endorphins that still may be lingering.

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State your favourite musical instruments.

Saxophone, Piano, Cello, Bass, Acoustic Guitar, The Voice 808.

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Discuss your personality in full details.

I am a HOT MESS. I enjoy structure and order, but I like independence and freedom. I have to crack at least one joke a day because I’m goofy. There are moments where I’m very serious and focused on a task. Other moments where I’m silly and very distracting. Quality time is my love language. I LOVE listening to others and helping. I unfortunately don’t allow others to help me as much as I help them. I really value my relationship with God and fight to live as honestly as I should. I’m all about being down to earth. I don’t care for facades. I simply ask for you to be you, because I’m going to be me. Oh yes, and I’m borderline OCD when it comes to cleaning!

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Discuss your music career.

My music career has had its ups and downs and twists and turns. Like I said, I studied classical music with the intent on being an opera singer. I was training intensely for years and then decided one day I wanted to be on Broadway instead. I switched gears, went to college for musical theatre, working nonstop. In the middle of college I joined a pop vocal super-group and devoted my time to that. We became pretty popular in the Hollywood community, performing at the Holiday Parade two years in a row, almost signing a record deal. But of course all groups come to an end and I had to start over as a solo artist. I had a band and we performed at Universal City Walk every Saturday, but then that too ended. I have a few music videos on YouTube and have been featured on some blogs. I was recently workshopping an original musical, which may be going to New York in the next two years. Now I’m focusing more on my songwriting, writing for other artists and working with indie labels. Songwriting has become exciting for me and is a deep passion. It’s fun writing for other voice types and creating something around them. But I must say, I do think performing is calling my name again…

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List your musical work.

I have some of my original music on SoundCloud: Dang Bae, Tell Me, Addiction, Like A Boss, Unspoken Love, It’s Christmas, Child of Bethlehem, One Last Gift, No More VIP, All Eyes On Me, Mend My Heart – A few of my covers on YouTube and on my Social Media accounts.

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Share your memorable experiences with us.

I know I hinted at being in a group is tough, and yes it is. BUT some of my greatest memories were made with my pop vocal group. One time we literally had 8 hours to learn 10 songs for a charity event that next evening. Talk about everyone being on edge, but it all came together. It was a 1920s/30s theme so we were able to dress up and be elegant for the evening. I LOVED it! Another time was when we performed at the Hollywood Holiday Parade and one of the members forgot the lyrics during the middle of the song. So we all had to improvise on the spot and play it off on NATIONAL TELEVISION! In the moment we were not happy, but looking back I can laugh at it. I remember my mother recovering from breast cancer and flying to L.A. to see me sing one of the hardest songs I’ve ever had to perform. And just her presence made that night so special and unforgettable. Music is my love and remedy for a lot in life.