New York based out singer-songwriter Harrison Scott has become known for his dark synth-pop sound and for pushing the envelope by combining music, fashion, and queer sexuality in his videos. Since his debut single ‘Silence Into Noise’ in November 2014, he’s been featured in Entertainment Weekly, crossfadr, Advocate, and New Now Next.
The first track, ‘BloodSport,’ off his upcoming debut album ‘Skin Game’ premiered earlier this year on Yahoo Music. Scott recently told New Now Next, “In the music industry heterosexual artists are able to completely put their sexuality on display, to use it as a way to promote their music and their message,” We caught up with Scott to learn more about ‘BloodSport’ and who he is as an artist:
What was your inspiration behind the song ‘BloodSport’?
I wrote BloodSport the morning after a super rough night. I had just moved to New York and was going out a lot, and ended up really hurting myself one night. I was too gone that night to head to the hospital, and I woke up covered in blood not knowing what had happened. Honestly it’s times like those that I get the most inspired to write lyrics, it’s a way of processing my emotions and making sense of what’s going on.
What is the significance of having your head shaved on screen for the video of ‘BloodSport’?
Even though I’ve had an EP and a few videos come out before this one, it really does feel like the beginning for me. With this video and my upcoming album ‘Skin Game’, I feel like I’m finally showing who I really am as a person and an artist. So in a way it feels like a fresh start to me, the beginning of a new cycle. Since I was a little kid I’ve shaved my head every 2-3 years or so, and it always seems to correspond with a significant event in my life. It’s always unplanned too, instinctual, I’ll just wake up and be like “okay all this has got to go” and grab the razor.
Do you feel there a significant difference between a gay popstar and a popstar who is gay? How do you think you fit in?
I mean, there shouldn’t be, but there probably is. A popstar’s a popstar’s a popstar, but I think the tricky thing about it is that at its core pop is designed to appeal to the masses. Once you start dropping male pronouns, discussing racier topics, you loose a bit of that mass appeal. I guess to answer the question: a gay popstar embraces and showcases their sexuality, whereas a popstar who is gay may not openly discuss it in their music. And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with either. Everybody expresses themselves in different ways. I never got into this to be a “gay popstar,” but I am gay, it’s intrinsically tied to who I am as a person and how I see the world. It doesn’t define me, but it’s intertwined with so many of my experiences, that I’d be lying if I didn’t discuss it.
Social media is so much a part of our lives and you’ve commented about it briefly in some other interviews. How does social media fit into your life on a professional level? And what about on a personal level?
The greatest thing about social media is that it’s a direct link between you and the people who are interested and engaged in what you’re doing. With traditional media, there’s a filter. There’s a writer or an editor saying “Okay this is what people want to listen to, this is what people want to see.” With social media, that third party is gone, I can put out whatever I want, whenever I want, and people are free to form their own opinions.
How do you balance out your artistic interests with your entrepreneurial/business interests?
In a way, they can be one in the same. I could produce all the music in the world, but if there’s no effort put into getting people to actually pay attention, nobody would ever hear it. So you have to be smart about business and marketing, especially strategy. I actually went to art school and studied advertising, and the people I work with always give me shit because I’m such a control freak about exactly how my videos and music get released. This photo has to come out before this, I can’t release this song until people read this article etc. I could film a video and wait 2 years to release it because it just doesn’t feel strategically like the right time or I’ve built up enough buzz.
Our magazine is geared to gay men with an edge. What is something you have done that would be considered edgy, unconventional, or tight-lipped?
Life inspires art, art inspires life. Long story short, just watch the ‘BloodSport’ video…
Harrison Scott’s debut album ‘Skin Game’ will be out this May.
