IN CONVERSATION WITH SINÉAD HARNETT
R&B singer and songwriter Sinéad Harnett released her latest album ‘Boundaries’, which is her most personal project to date with an elevated execution of vocals, production, and lyricism, further cementing her status as a rising star in R&B. She also just announced the ‘Boundaries’ World Tour, kicking off Mid-August in the US, before heading to Europe and the UK in September and October.
You just released your new album ‘Boundaries’. Tell us more about it and the inspiration behind it.
When I first started writing, knowing that I was hoping to come up with a project, I didn’t have anything to say for the first year. Around the same time, I had begun therapy delving into my childhood for the first time. All of the things that I learnt about my trauma, unhealthy patterns and the history I was unearthing began to shape the album. So I’d say the biggest inspiration behind it is healing the inner child.
This album is the most personal project you’ve done so far. What made you decide to expose yourself through your music with this album?
I think through all this self-discovery, the increase in self-awareness is what exposed me more than ever before. An artist’s job is to tell the truth and so I carved out as much of it as I could.
What has creating and now releasing it mean to you personally?
Creating it was one of the most cathartic actions I’ve ever experienced and releasing it gives me the utmost gratitude because not only has that been healing in itself, I just cannot believe that I get to do that. No matter how dark this industry gets, I will never get over that I get to call this my job.
How did music become your passion and what got you into pursuing it in the first place?
I remember singing along to girl bands like Destiny’s Child, TLC and female solo artists like Aaliyah, Christina Aguilera and Lauryn Hill, to name a few, and just adoring that feeling. I had a lot of conflicting emotions as a child and teen, so singing was a therapy in itself. Music was an escape, but also a confrontation all at once.
How do you compare yourself as an artist today vs. the artist you were when you released your first single?
What an amazing question and how badly I wish I knew then what I know now. I didn’t know how to take up any space because I had no idea who I was. I hated myself deep down. If I was a word back then, that word would be lost. Knowing who I am now vs. the fear I personified back then would be my comparison.
You’ve contributed your vocals to club and charting dominating producers like Rudimental, Disclosure and Kaytranada. How has working and collaborating with such talents enrichened you as an artist?
I greatly appreciate all of the collaborations I’ve experienced because it gave me just that, experience. Getting to be a part of another person’s journey on the bonding that goes into that is priceless. I’ll always treasure those times.
What makes you feel the most empowered when you are on the stage, receiving the energy of the audience?
I think it’s the greatest gift that life has to offer us is human connection. When I’m on that stage, seeing the people that actually resonate with my words, there’s nothing quite like it. I feel the community, a sense of home and a sense that we all feel the same pain. But in that moment, we feel it, we own it and then we let it go together. That’s special.
You also just announced the ‘Boundaries’ World Tour around US, UK and Europe, which will kick off this Summer. What are you most excited about for the tour?
i’m most excited for the people I’ll meet and the talent that will be around me. I can’t wait for all the ways these things will inspire me. We are so blessed.
Tell us more about your other passions in life, besides music.
I’m so big on nature, I absolutely love being outside, so naturally I’m a big Earth girl. I would love to do more to save the Earth and more community-based things. My family mean the world to me and I’ve made a big sacrifice moving 11 hours away from them. I’d say they’re a big passion of mine.
Besides the upcoming tour, what can you share with us about your other upcoming projects?
There’s a hilarious meme going around about how many different pockets independent artists are trying to fill. We are either writing, performing, promoting, making content or trying to find a sense of peace between all those things. Whenever I have a free moment, I try to create, because I’d love to release more music as soon as possible.
TEAM CREDITS:
photographers RELVYN LOPEZ & ROSIE MATHESON