Switching Lanes

Acting as her own harmonic triad, Harloe runs an empowering one-woman show as the writer, singer, and producer of her music, living up to her namesake as a maestro in her own right and as a concoction of contrasting influences from the city that never sleeps. “Being in NYC, there was always something cool going on, whether it was a dope show or amazing people to collaborate with. It’s really a place of ambitious and talented people, so it always kept me inspired.” Despite Queens being a breeding ground for culturally diverse talents, her shift in becoming a full-fledged recording artist comes with a bold decision to leave the familiarity of her home for a brighter flip-side, and Los Angeles’ forecast reads a gleaming future ahead for the artist. “It definitely felt like a big transition because the two cities have such different vibes. There seems to be more of a formula to writing in LA—especially with pop, while NYC feels a bit more raw and gritty. In terms of lifestyle, I definitely get more vitamin D and chill time in LA just because of the weather! But I love both and feel lucky to be able to call them both home.”

Standing tall with a strong backbone on classical piano, the musician packs the winning punch as the writer of a myriad of top artists such as Charli XCX, Britney Spears, and Jojo, adding a tough bite to her musical chamber. “Writing for other artists really opened my eyes and ears up to new sounds and worlds of music that I hadn’t explored before. It brought a whole new sense and perspective of music to me, and I found more of myself through it.” Now with reputable street cred to her musicale and a unique palette of urban, pop, and alternative R&B, Harloe’s sensibilities balances between the barriers of concert halls and underground rock-fests. “It definitely sets the tone for what the rest of my music on this project will sound like overall. Each song has a different feel and leans toward other sounds, but ‘All In My Feelings’ is definitely the glue of it all,” the musician explains. “I think the main thing that was tricky was figuring out how to keep it as simple as possible in production, while keeping it upbeat and moving. I tried lots of different approaches on it. I wanted it to have a sense of both those worlds, so the challenge was not over doing it, and keeping it as toned down as possible,” she adds. Noticing a lack of feminine touch under the drawing board, Harloe decided that she needed to take matters into her own hands, proving to be her own girl boss as she brings her music to fruition. “The most exciting and challenging part was actually doing the programming on the track because it’s new territory for me. I did most of the song recording sitting on the floor in my closet, while singing into a USB mic directly into my laptop.”

Thawing it out completely required another woman in the scene, and a collaboration with Chicago femme fatale Dreezy and her granular prowess certainly added that extra crunch to the song. “I knew that having her do a verse would give the song much more feel, and when I found out she wanted to be a part of it, I was so excited. She sounds amazing,” she relays. With her vocal compass reaching powerful heights, the New Yorker decided that keeping it simple was the best way to embrace her vulnerability and orchestrate her confrontation of letting go, starting it on a light note with hard-hitting lyrics that explore the passage of her relationship, and ending it with an aching pulse written in soul and funk-influenced syncopation. “The song kind of came together after an honest realization of feeling really low after a breakup. I just wanted get the thoughts out of my head late one night after leaving a party I was at, and started producing on my laptop that night or morning, whichever way you look at it.”

With a guttural voice, her single “All In My Feelings” is an overture to a continous narrative, with her second single “More Than Ever” reaching for a euphonious closure to her relationship. “After a few years of writing in LA for other artists, I got so inspired to tell my story. What really set it off was writing my first single. It was the first time I felt like I wanted to say the words in that song myself.”

soundcloud.com/harloemusic @harloemusic

By Bianca Serrano

Photographed by Isaac Sterling