This Saturday, our new favorite TikTok-sensation-turned-formidable-indie-pop-singer/songwriter, Harriette, kicks off her very first US tour, as support for Arkansas duo Joan, which will have her at The Lounge at World Café Live next Wednesday, May 17th. Last month Harriette released her 8-song debut EP, i heart the internet (courtesy of AWAL), following three preview singles (“Goodbye Texas,” “Fucking Married,” and “bc i love you.”)
Harriette grew up in Texas, spending her teenage years fighting her parents urging her to try her luck in the music game, despite embodying many of the characteristics of the most progressive and impressive females in the world of contemporary Americana (and actually enjoying making music…) However, in 2021 she scored a surprise TikTok hit with “at least i’m pretty,” after being sent back home from a stint attending Parsons School of Design in New York City due to COVID. She did eventually go back to Brooklyn, but decided to pursue the whole music thing, after all.
“I had a bunch of songs written when ‘at least i’m pretty’ went viral,” Harriette confesses during a recent phone chat, hinting that making music had always at least been on her mind. “The most difficult part was figuring out what sound I wanted,” she tells me, admitting that the recording of this EP was her first time in a studio. And while many of her critical comparisons reference that Americana sound (Harper’s BAZAAR said, “With a simple melody and a sweet voice pinged with a homely tang reminiscent of some of country’s best pop vocalists, Harriet’s [sic] ‘Goodbye Texas’ is both a rebellion and a love letter to her nuanced hometown in the Lone Star State.”), her musical interests and appeal would seem to transcend that characterization to a notable degree.
“The biggest thing for me is just being myself… That’s where a lot of the songs stem from… Always staying true to myself,” Harriette tells me of her sound and approach to making her music. And when I ask about some of her favorite LPs, she names Taylor Swift’s Red, Lucius’ Wildewoman, Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters (which she says is probably her current favorite album), Weezer’s Blue Album, and Lana Del Rey’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! as all having super special places in her heart.
However, despite moving on from simply being a viral sensation, Harriette admits that her relationships and presence on social media still mean a lot to her. When I ask if she’s had any favorite reactions to the EP, she tells me, “I really like some people’s memes they’ve sent me, and I had an Instagram questionnaire on my story yesterday that was really fun.” She also tells me that one of the early highlights of her ultra-fresh musical career was having Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas post her on his story.
While her upcoming tour with Joan (who share numerous mutual friends with Harriette, and reached out to her through DMs, personally) will be Harriette’s first tour of the states, she has been on the road overseas recently: “I’m really excited to tour America in general. I’ve only done a UK tour and European tour.” For her performances, she will be paired with her best friend, Puma, who will each be contributing vocals and guitar. I ask if there are any dates or venues that she’s especially excited about, and she admits that at this point she’s still new enough that she’s just enjoying seeing what’s out there and starting to figure things out along the way: “I’m still kind of just a sponge, taking this all in.”
*Get your tickets here.
