When she stopped singing, I started,” Linda Harrison recalls of the moment when she chose her future. “My grandmother sang to me every Sunday night. This was really special to me, but she died when I was 7. When you lose something you have to fill it with something, and for me it was this dream of being a musician. There’s never been anything else. I doubt there ever will be.”

Twenty year old Harrison released her first physical single 'Overexposure' in September on her own label. Fiercely independent, she has her own fashion line and an album recorded when she was just sixteen already to her name. Collaborations and connections from Frankmusik to Perez Hilton are under her belt, along with numerous management and publishing offe...

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When she stopped singing, I started,” Linda Harrison recalls of the moment when she chose her future. “My grandmother sang to me every Sunday night. This was really special to me, but she died when I was 7. When you lose something you have to fill it with something, and for me it was this dream of being a musician. There’s never been anything else. I doubt there ever will be.”

Twenty year old Harrison released her first physical single 'Overexposure' in September on her own label. Fiercely independent, she has her own fashion line and an album recorded when she was just sixteen already to her name. Collaborations and connections from Frankmusik to Perez Hilton are under her belt, along with numerous management and publishing offers. Harrison is proud to stand on her own. Now comes the new follow-up single release 'Be With You', including a 16-piece orchestra. The song was recently featured on BBC Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs' (30th Sept 2012) as one of eight tracks chosen by guest, Ade Adepitan.

Harrison's songs are rooted in a background of emotional deep lows, ecstatic highs and a life experience gained from far and wide places - from Edinburgh to LA’s slums - and her steely stubborness is testament to a passion for sacrificing all for her art. Living in London now, she knows exactly why she's been so relentless in chasing her artistic objectives. A troubling time at school with few able to understand the direction of her drive (teachers or peers), led to a promise from her parents that she could leave early, only if she acheived straight A's. Harrison got the grades, won a place at Guildford Academy of Contemporary Music and wrote and recorded her first album. “That album is quite dark, it was therapy. I uploaded it to Bebo and MySpace, and a video to YouTube, and people started watching it.” she says. “My song “Sunday Morning” at that point had 25,000 views, but I hadn’t ever stopped to think: ‘Shit, 25,000 people are actually watching me, and liking it.’ I found out that the next Black-Eyed Peas single was going to be “Meet Me Halfway”, and covered it before it had been played on the radio, and got over 500,000 views. I realised what the power of YouTube was then.’”

Harrison - YouTube video for 'Meet Me Halfway' (orig. Black-Eyed Peas)

Graduating in 2011, Harrison took a leap of faith and journeyed to LA, not knowing a single soul there. She stayed in a homeless hostel before travelling to Austin, Texas and the South By Southwest festival, where she met Ellie Goulding, Linda Perry and Perez Hilton. A writing session back in LA with ex-Phantom Planet guitarist Jacques Brautbar changed her music. “We wrote “Supermodel”, which was very tongue-in-cheek. Lyrically it sounds like a pop song Rihanna might even sing. It’s not about sex, but it’s pretty suggestive. I understood pop music then, because when I sing that song on stage, all it is about is the audience having fun, and having that same moment I had with Jacques when we were laughing at every line.”

From her early influences of Weezer, Foo Fighters and Slipknot, to a new love of all things pop Harrison's steely determination and self-belief is motivated by what she knows is her duty to herself.




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