A sit down with Harry Fazakerley

I had the pleasure of talking with Harry Fazakerley about his journey as a musician, from discovering his passion for music at a young age to the artists who have shaped him and what the future holds.

At just 18 years old, the Liverpool musician has quickly made his mark on the city’s music scene and his rise has been anything but quiet. Yet behind the growing crowds and recognition is a story that begins much earlier.

For harry, music was never something that suddenly appeared in his life. It has always been there whether that was driving to football in his dad’s van or hearing his mum playing Glee and ABBA’s greatest hits in the kitchen.

“I’ve always grew up with having music on” he explains. “It’s always been a massive part of my life”.

His journey with music started unexpectedly. “I only picked up the guitar when I was 7 because my mum and dad realised I was never going to be a football player” he laughs. From then on came the guitar lessons, but as a child the immediate love for playing wasn’t there. “Don’t get me wrong at first it was more of a hindrance, I was a kid who wanted to be out playing with his mates”. However, as he started learning songs, he actually listened too, something changed.

“I kept playing the guitar a secret for years, I didn’t want to be known as the lad in school who plays guitar and for it to be my personality”. He explains coming from a working-class environment came with judgement from some people who didn’t understand his love for it the same way he did.

It all changed when Careless Whisper by George Michael become the ‘craze’ of the school.

“I just finished my guitar lesson and decided to put it on. I googled the tab to see what it was and then quickly realised I could play the song” He recalls. “ I sent it to all my mates, and they were shocked as I never told them I could play”.

“So, for me, the switch in my brain to actually pursue music was when I was 13 years old and I learnt Careless Whisper by George Michael and sent it to my friends.”

Fast forward to Harry at 18 years old, he  has quickly made his mark on the city’s music scene. From selling out 02 Academy to supporting Jamie Webster in front of thousands of people and earning radio play. Despite all of the opportunities coming his way, he is determined to stay grounded.

“I try to stay as grounded as possible” he says. “I will never take it for granted because I think it could be someone else, and I am very lucky to be where I am at a very young age”.

“Being a musician is absolutely boss, and to say I’m a full-time musician I’m so grateful”.

Even with the pressure that follows, there have already been countless moments that remind him exactly why he is doing it.

“One gig I’ll never forget is when I was gigging at the Lord Nelson when I was 16 and a drunken man approached me asking me if I was Harry Fazakerley.”

What happened next in perhaps one of the more unexpected milestones in his career.

“He said, ‘come here lad, can you sign my nipple?’”

He continued on to tell harry he was planning on getting it tattooed, now remarkably the two are now Facebook friends.

There have been bigger moments since then, notably his Zanzibar gig, having about 250 people chanting his name to seven nation army, but one gig stands above the rest.

“The Webster gig was the best gig of my life from start to finish” he says.

Even snapping his guitar string two songs in couldn’t dampen his experience.

“Playing to 8,000 people will live with me forever.”

For harry, songwriting isn’t something he wakes up and decides to do. Rather than sitting down with the intention of writing a song, he spends hours with his guitar, allowing the ideas to develop naturally.

“I don’t sit down and think I’m going to write a song today” he explains. ‘I sit there with my guitar day and night and play what comes to my head. Sometimes I will do it off the top of my head or once I’ve got the bones and meat of the song it just comes straight away.”

His songs can come from messing around about his mates and stepping into somebody else’s perspective, but more often than not, they are rooted in real life.

His new single Waste Any Time, is an example of this. It tells a story of two people who can never seem to meet at the right time, but he is chasing the person confessing his love to make it work.

Then there is Make You Cry, which he describes as his favourite song.

The track was inspired by a real-life conversation with a friend who was struggling with problems in his relationship. Rather than simply offering advice, he turned it into a song.

“It is a conversation between two people” he says, “it’s my mate’s actual story”

“People will ask me if my songs are about certain situations and often, I will say yes, but  music is so subjective you can’t just put it into one category, my songs can be interpreted differently depending on who is listening and thats what I love about them.

After recently undergoing major eye surgery, he has had to put a hold on his plans so he can focus on getting back to full health, but that hasn’t stopped his future plans from looking busy.

He is set to play a headline gig at Arts Club Loft on 26^th September, playing his original songs and some newer ones that will be released just a few days before.

Harry told me that he is planning on bringing out two new singles ‘Goodbye’ and ‘Baby Blue’, which is perhaps his most personal releases yet.

For harry, Goodbye is his deepest song yet. Written about the loss of his uncle Chris, who passed away.

“It’s almost a bit of an angry song” he explains. “When you say goodbye to someone, whether that’s a relationship breakup, moving away, or in my case, loosing someone, those initial last words before it happens isn’t the hardest part. The hardest part is always what comes after.”

The result is an emotional, acoustic, vocal driven track. “I hope people will just sit back, close their eyes and appreciate it.”

Then there’s Baby Blue.

Baby Blue is a cover of a song by Chris, the same man who goodbye is about. Chris played a huge role in his life and was there for many of his biggest milestones. Chris passed away just days after Christmas last year, leaving behind music that he never had the opportunity to perform live to an audience.

Now, Fazakerley is recording Baby Blue as a way of keeping that music alive.

The song carries a significance beyond its release. It is a tribute not only to Chris, but to his family and the music he left behind. Chris’ work will be removed off Spotify as his membership with the contributor will end.

“He’d be over the moon if he knew I was doing this,” he says. “Hopefully people learn the words,” “It would mean so much to him and his family.”

He is set to support The Cheap Thrills at their sold-out shows in Jacaranda Baltic and hinted that he could possibly be touring as support with a band who is currently selling out venues.

 You can stream Harry’s song on all available platforms, for someone whose own musical journey began with quietly learning Careless Whisper in his bedroom and keeping the guitar hidden from his classmates, he has come a long way. Now, with new music, bigger stages and even bigger ambitions ahead, it seems the secret is well and truly out.