Harriet Curry, is only one single into her career and it already feels like she’s done playing. The chorus of ‘Girls’, alone, is enough to stop anyone in their tracks: “Girls like me, we don’t get opportunities, So in our heads, instead of being young and free, Dictated by others who we’re gonna be, And in the end, thrown away like lost property.”
Whilst the lyrics to ‘Girls’ is clearly deeply personal and incredibly heartfelt, Harriet also feels that they’re representative of many more women than just herself – and she supports this extremely directly, when asked. In Harriet’s own words: “’Girls’ is about personal struggles with fitting in and how that mentally affects you. Being a female of dual heritage comes with its own struggles. Growing up and not knowing where one fits in is not easy. Not being able to go to a high street hair salon like all the other girls, because no salon bothers to cater to all hair types – what does that say to young women of colour? Not knowing which box to tick on the heritage question on an application form, or a school exam, because it’s either black, white, or other.”
‘Girls’ isn’t just a call to females of dual heritage, it’s a call to all women. Whatever one’s heritage, the song is a voice for all women. Harriet continues; “getting whistled at because of how you look during the daytime, being harassed on nights out is apparently just what comes as standard for being female. Too many people are telling young women that you can’t do certain things because ‘that’s not how a girl should act’, or, you can’t do this job, or you can’t wear this, is just the beginning of it. I just want to empower everyone and anyone that can relate to my experiences.”
Her debut single ‘Cuckoo’, released late 2018, caught the attention of many people in Manchester, in particular BBC Introducing and the Complex and Dummy Mag supported artist, Dami Sule, who promptly asked Harriet to join him in the studio to collaborate on a number of tracks. This summer will see the first of these collaborations, as well as ‘Girls, Harriet’s second solo single – which focuses on a sultry, future RnB-style beat, with just the right sprinkling of neo soul prowess in her empowering and inspiring vocal.
‘Girls’ is released 31/05/19 on all digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music
