Harry and The Chicks, an East London-based pop singer, makes music that represents the energy and history of her city. She is creating her own universe by combining her ‘poptimistic’ music with her own international-selling fashion products business. Harry’s colourful voice and style make an indelible impact on your memory, because of the creativity that runs in her blood.
Her striking and powerful new track “Snakes in the Streets” was co-written with producer Imad Salhi, and blends hard-hitting, synth-fueled melodies with crystal clear vocals (culminating in a dance-worthy sound reminiscent of Kim Petras and Griff). In contrast to its lyrical meaning, the song is highly cheery, as is always the case with the optimist. During a period when Harry was suffering from anxiety and sleep paralysis, she finally felt able to write honestly and freely about her emotions, singing relatably, “I’m anxious, I feel depressed, I’m embarrassed to get this off my chest”.
The songwriter shares, “The song is about putting trust in people too soon. I can be so open with people that I leave myself vulnerable to others, and I’ve had this trait since I was a teenager. When you’re a teenager, it can feel like you have an audience around you that are eagerly awaiting your downfall at all times. I felt eyes on me, and my friends thought I was paranoid. At the same time though, I’d been added to harassing group chats made by some of my peers, and I’d even have people following me home.”
The frightening, yet shockingly accurate film depicts the artist and her pals being followed and harassed on the streets. “I was followed and catcalled fourteen times on my way from the studio to my house,” Harry says. Strangers were wolf-whistling at me and cornering me from their motorcycles, trucks, and even their apartments. It’s a terrifying experience being a young woman traversing the streets of London alone, but on the bright side, this incident offered me the storyline for the music video and an opportunity to highlight the significant issue London has with street harassment based on my own experience.”
Harry has over 25K fans across platforms and has received tastemaker support from BBC Essex and BBC Introducing; she recently performed on Minga London’s IGTV stage and was named the Undiscovered Essex Live Music Project’s Best Solo Act in 2018. Harry is presently collaborating with the app ‘SafeUp’ to spread awareness against street harassment. The software keeps women safe on the streets by connecting them to an online network of women who can be warned when they are in an unsafe circumstance.
Photos by Elena Torrano