Rising pop act shye. might be a relatively new project, having only released his first single, “Iconic” earlier this year, but for mastermind Nick Harrison, it has been a long time in the making. From the time he first picked up a pen and began writing songs at a young age, to tour managing other artists and eventually releasing music as shye., Harrison has always been focused on creating music for himself first and foremost – music that reflects his own feelings and ultimately helps him get through the day. The result is shye.’s incredibly relatable and emotional brand of pop music – something that can be heard on the powerful “Through Your Fire” and his latest single, “Wither.”
2018 has been an incredibly busy year for shye., who has been regularly releasing new music since the start of the year, but 2019 is already shaping up to be even better. With plans to create even more in the new year, this certainly won’t be the last time you hear from shye.. Get to know more about him and listen to “Through Your Fire” and “Wither” now below!
Interview by Shannon Shumaker
Can you tell us a little bit about shye. for any readers who might not be familiar?
I’m a singer/songwriter from Poughkeepsie, NY. My father played music and my mother had a wonderful gift as a writer, and after I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at age 10, she put a pen in my hand and told me to write. Since then I’ve used my words as a way to cope with anything and everything life threw my way. In February of 2018, I released my first single “Iconic” and have been releasing music steadily since, with no plans to slow down!
You have a pretty unique background in the music industry, because you started out as a full-time tour manager before working on music as shye.. Are there any lessons you’ve learned on the road that you’ve been able to apply to this project?
Actually, yes. I worked for some artists in the pop world, so it taught me a lot about bringing radio-friendly songs to life in a live setting, and enhancing them with live instrumentation and production to create a unique live experience. When starting to create the live set for this project, I wanted to make sure I had a full live band to create that unique experience from the very beginning. Also, being away from home for that long, you can create a family with the people you tour with. Some of the people I met while in that point in my life are people that I work with closely on this project, and also people who I rely on for advice. For example, I worked for James Hersey, and we became super close while touring together. I still send him songs and videos that I’m working on to see what he thinks. He’s absolutely brilliant, so I trust his opinion and advice. (Go listen to his music if you haven’t yet!)
How do you feel your previous experiences in the music industry have affected the music that you write today, if at all?
I think I’ve just always wanted to keep it personal to me. Aside from pursuing music as a career, writing songs is what helps me get through the day, and I don’t wanna change that at all. I write how I feel, when I’m feeling it. Also, the people I write with are people I’ve known from those experiences in the industry. Friends I met from touring, from writing music together at a young age, or even friends of friends I’ve made on the road. I’m so lucky to have great friends that believe in my vision and want to be a part of it.
What inspired you to first start writing music as shye.?
I’ve always been inspired by and loved pop music, it formed a lot of my earliest impressions in music as a kid. After I stopped tour managing full time, I came home and started writing songs with my producer/right hand man Brendan Williams. It started just as a way for us to write together and grow as songwriters. I learned a lot about myself as a singer and as a songwriter from those early sessions with him. It pushed me to pursue myself as an artist more seriously, and take the time to formulate a sound and a feeling around my music that resonated with me. We wrote songs together for 2 years before I released my first single, and we’ve been grinding ever since.
You’ve had an incredibly busy year releasing new music, most recently your new singles, “Through Your Fire” and “Wither.” What has been the highlight of your year so far?
I think just seeing the reaction of how my music has resonated with people. I always write from experience, and use my words as a way to cope with things I’m going through in life, so to see people appreciating it means a lot to me. I never really thought I’d cross 100,000 streams in the first 10 months of releasing music, so to see those numbers come through has been truly overwhelming and humbling. I’m doing all I can to continue to write and release music that comes from a real place, and build upon those numbers next year!
Can you tell us a little bit about “Through Your Fire”? What inspired the song?
This song was deeply personal to me. It’s about being in love with someone who you know has their demons that they battle daily. It’s about trying to express to that person that you have your own demons, and you’re there to help them fight theirs, if they’re here to fight yours. Being in love means standing as a united front against whatever life throws your way. It’s about knowing you’re stronger together, and that you don’t need the other person to shield you from it. This song was my way of saying, “I’m here for it if you are.”
You’ve been in the studio this year writing and recording more new music – when can fans expect to hear more?
My new single Wither is being released on December 14th! Definitely keep an eye out for that. We’re not stopping there. Working on new music all the time, and aiming to be even busier next year.
With 2019 quickly approaching, do you have any big plans or goals for the new year? What can fans expect next?
I want to continue to write and release meaningful music, but I wanna release even more than last year. More music, more poetry, more content. I want to be 10 times as busy as I was last year, and continue to build a platform to share my words. So expect more from me than ever before.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
My brand new single Wither is available EVERYWHERE December 14th! Go check it out! Thank you so much for having me.
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