Interview with Jamie Harrison

Interview with Jamie Harrison

This guy has been making huge strides in the Irish music industry in recent times, and with the calibre of music he continues to release, such as his latest single 'If I Only Knew Your Name', it doesn't appear that the success is bound to halt at any time soon.

I recently caught up with the Galway native to chat about that single that has everyone talking! I've even given it a couple of spins on my radio show myself!

"This was a song I wrote last year that seemed to come together

magically - one of those rare '30 minute songs.  I guess it refers

to those moments what we've all experienced where you pass

someone on the street or see someone somewhere and for a

second everything just stops as you catch eyes.  It also has a 

more 'daydream' element of thinking about who that 'one person'

is and where in the world they might be.  I guess that's what it 

meant for me, but of course, it came out of me so fast that it also 

has other subconscious meanings and interpretations and it's 

not really stuck down to one thing.  The lyrics are maybe a little

bit more open to interpretation than some of my other songs."

If you haven't already heard the lyrics, have a listen here for yourself, and watch the very snazzy music video, which Jamie says was great fun to make; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFtuRzaOusk

"I had an amazing director just guiding me through everything so that made it a lot easier.  It was certainly the largest and most serious from a  production standpoint, (and it was shot in Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world) so there was a little bit of extra pressure there I guess, but I loved every minute of it!"

Despite his notable success to date, in many ways this release is just the start of Jamie Harrison. In fact, he has an EP set to be released very shortly.

"I will have an EP coming soon after releasing 'If Only I Knew Your Name'. I am really excited to release that because it gives people more of an idea of who I am and that I'm not just about one thing. It also gives people an opportunity to hear some other songs that I can do live, so its always nicer to go to a gig and know some of the songs, than to only know one."

With over 12,000 likes on Facebook, people are becoming more and more familiar with Harrison's music, which one can only assume is a dream come true for any artist. But the humble Galwegian is keeping his feet fixed firmly on the ground

"To be honest, it's been gradually building for a while and many people already recognise me from busking in whatever city I happen to be in, so I don't feel any huge change taking place right now. Like you said before, it's only the beginning for me, so maybe in time, I'll have a better answer to that question! But also, I've been so busy doing so many radio shows and TV slots that I haven't had a huge amount of time to even notice it! And my family will make sure my feet always stay firmly planted on the ground though *laughs*"

Jamie mentioned his busking, which really was a focal point in getting his career up and running. He started out as a busker, playing on the streets of Galway. In 2012 he raised €6,000 for Neuroblastoma patient Lily-Mae and sang on the charity single 'A Song For Lily-Mae', which went to number 1 in the Irish charts. But he claims he doesn't have a preference of being on the streets busking or in the studio recording.. It all depends on the weather. Typical Irish!!

"It really depends where I am and what the weather is like outside haha! In the winter, it's a lot nicer being in a cosy studio hanging out with other musicians and making music, but when the sun is out, it's a really good buzz being out on the streets and meeting people and playing music for them. It's also quite nice around Christmas when people are in doing their Christmas shopping and exploring the markets, but damn, trying to keep your fingers warm while playing the guitar is no easy feat!"

So whether you plan on listening to Jamie on the street, buying his EP or seeing him at a live gig, here is what he has in store for the future;

"I will be doing some gigs in Galway and Dublin coming up to Christmas, but dates aren't completely locked down yet. However, if you go onto my Facebook page which is facebook.com/jamieharrisonmusic, I'll be keeping people updated whenever we decide on some definite dates!"

If you do happen to see him busking, be a dear and give him a cup of coffee to warm him up! Poor guy!

EOIN!