It’s no longer a surprise when a record company signs up an A-list YouTube singer. The act’s growing number of viewers often indicate that it’s just a matter of time before they step out of the confines of their makeshift studios to the real thing, collaborating with multiawarded producers and going on a music tour of their own.
But the abundance of well-deserved breaks of YouTube cover artists certainly doesn’t lessen the excitement these very musicians feel when they’ve come full circle. From singing the chart-topping singles of their favorite artists, they are suddenly the ones on the spotlight with budding musicians rendering their songs in different approaches.
“Do you know what? The most amazing thing I’ve seen is other people covering my songs. It’s always an incredible feeling. I grew up covering other artists’ songs and now I see fans and random people on YouTube singing the songs I’ve brought out,” 19-year-old pop artist HRVY shares.
The young artist is the newest pop idol of the young generation, boasting more than 7 million followers on social media. His hit single “Personal” has reached the 50-million mark on Spotify and it’s got a whopping 126 million views on YouTube. With those figures and his tonality, this United Kingdom native is being tagged as his generation’s Justin Bieber.
HRVY says “Personal” started off as one of his friend’s taglines which became the beginning of the song’s chorus. The singer reveals it’s a mix of both personal experience and make-believe situations, saying he had a fling back in school and they had an ongoing joke about his girl flirting with all of his friends.
“She used to flirt a lot and now she became a reference for this song. There’s a dark meaning behind it, but it’s still got that upbeat rhythm. The melodies in it are happy, but also the message pined there’s a contrast between both that makes it so interesting,” HRVY says.
His newest single, “Hasta Luego,” experiments with Latino Pop and was made to be a summer anthem. HRVY worked with Malu Trevejo to create a track with that Reggaeton beat that reminded people of the hot season and its fun times.
“I’d love to go R&B more, singing the slower ballads, that kind of music, ’cause that’s what I listen to mostly. I listen to obviously a lot of pop, but I love sad music. I don’t know why but I do, and I’d love to be able to sing those and have it as a part of me as well,” he shares.
“But for now, I like my music to represent my youth and the young generation. The fun and lightheartedness of it, delving in nothing really serious—not yet, anyway. I’ll probably wait till I grow up and then I’ll sing my sad songs. Now I like my music to represent what I’m feeling, really—happiness,” HRVY says.
