With early support from some of the biggest stars in electronic music, including Hardwell, KSHMR, Oliver Heldens, Tchami, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Nicky Romero to name just a few – not to mention official releases already clocked on the likes of Enhanded, Gemstone and Proximity & Thrive – Oli Harper looks set to be on a one-way path to success. Out today, It’s Hard For Me sees the hotly-tipped British producer make his impressive Sirup Music debut as he teams up with American singer-songwriter Krysta Youngs for the pair’s incredible debut collaboration. We caught up with the Bristol-born producer to find out more…
Hi Oli! How are you today?
Hi, I’m great thanks, enjoying the sunshine at the moment in the UK.
Please introduce yourself for our readers.
I’m an Electronic Music Producer from Bristol, UK.
Starting at the beginning, how did you first get into producing music?
I played the guitar when I was young, I bought an 8 track recording machine and tried recording songs through it. I loved it, but I noticed that my songs didn’t sound as good as the songs you hear on the radio, so I started learning about music production. In secondary school I got into EDM, I bought Logic for my computer so I could do it myself. I loved it so much I chose to study music production at uni. After uni when my music sounded good enough, I felt I was ready to release as an artist. That was just over two years ago and I’ve never looked back!
How would you best describe your sound?
Feel-good house music, I take a lot of influence from UK house and dance-pop.
Who are some of your biggest influences, sonically?
I’ve love Calvin Harris’ music, ‘Under Control’ was no.1 when I was in 6th form, I’ve been listening to him ever since. I love how his sound has changed over time but always sounds like him. I also listen to a lot of Sigala, Jax Jones and MK.
What were you doing before you decided to make a leap into the world of music?
When I was at school I spent 12 months on tour as a child actor in The Sound Of Music, but by the time I left school I decided my future lay in music.
Congratulations on your new record ‘It’s Hard For Me (feat. Krysta Youngs)’. What can fans expect from this release?
It’s an uplifting piano-house track with emotional lyrics written by Krysta about making up after falling out with a partner. Something that most of us have done at some stage.
What was it like working with Krysta? Is it your first collaboration with her?
I’ve worked with Krysta and her co-writer Julia Ross a few times, I love their writing and Krysta’s vocals. They’ve written for BTS and other huge artists. I wanted to make an uplifting record and once I’d finished the instrumental I knew Krysta’s vocals would be perfect. As soon as she sent back the first draft for the topline, I loved it.
And how were you introduced to Sirup Music?
As an EDM artist, I’ve worked with a number of different labels. Sirup is a label I’ve been aware of for a while, I’m a big admirer of EDX’s music. When I found out Sirup were interested in ‘It’s Hard For Me’ I was excited to release with them.
Do you have any other releases upcoming that you’d like to share with us?
I have a few songs lined up for release later this year. My next release is called ‘Taboo’ with singer/songwriters KTJ & Carly.
Thanks for your time Oli and we wish you all the best!