Q&A: Harris Hills on New Single ‘Hate’ and His Musical Evolution

Harris Hills is a singer/songwriter from Nashville, Tenn. and the artist behind the recently released single “Hate.” In this interview, we dive deep into his journey of relocating to Nashville, a city synonymous with musical innovation, and how this vibrant environment has influenced his evolving sound. Hills shares his experience of artistic growth, the journey from hip-hop to indie-rock, and opens up about his song-writing process. 

Hills has a unique outlook on the music industry and exciting aspirations for the future. From his upcoming shows to his vision for blending genres, join us as we explore the mind and music of this rising star:

PHOTO BY JAYDEN GILES

Pleaser: You released your new single “Hate” a few weeks ago. How has the reaction been to that song?

Harris Hills: It's been really fun. It felt very spontaneous. We mixed the song all in one day and we just knew we had to get it out. It’s doing great and the music video has been getting a lot of traction as well. A lot of people have reached out about it. I’m bad at receiving compliments but this single is something I’m really proud of.

Walk me through your creative process when making the song.

HH: I'm really inspired to write songs that are super dramatic and over the top. Saying “I hate all the features on your face” brings shock value. I didn't want to make a typical breakup song. There's a lot of contradicting lyrics in it, but that’s how it is sometimes in a breakup, lots of contradicting feelings.

My writing stems from things that have happened in my life. You grow so close with somebody that now you're like, even the thought of you, your features, everything just makes me feel like I can't even look at you anymore. But also on the back end of the song, I'm still like, “I think about you all the time.”

“Hate” is reminiscing on the history we made, the messages and everything about the relationship that just made me feel like I didn’t like the person I used to be in this relationship. Not necessarily having ill will towards the person you're in the relationship with, but not liking the version of yourself that you were with that person. That was really the core of it.

Is songwriting more of a collaborative or individual process for you?

HH: I usually write by myself. There are very few times that I'll let other people in on my writing process, which is a habit I'm trying to break. Nashville itself is such a collaborative city. Everybody wants to be in a studio session together and co-write everything. [But] I've stopped writing lyrics, I'll just sit there and I just sing until it works out.

“Hate” was one of those songs where there was nothing written. I sat down, recorded the whole thing and went back and made it sound good. That's been my process, writing alone and being in the studio alone for most of my songs.

How are you feeling about your upcoming show at the East Room in Nashville?

HH: I'm excited and super nervous. I always get nervous before shows. But as soon as I get on stage, I don't ever feel too nervous because I feel like it's my job to entertain. People have paid to be here so I have to deliver. I feel like I need to show people I work really hard on this music and I want them to listen to, enjoy it and become fans. So I do have to get in the mindset of “This is not about you right now.”

How has moving to Nashville been for you as a musician?

HH: I moved here from Washington. When I moved here, I didn't know anybody in the music scene in Nashville, or really anything about Nashville at all. I just knew that the industry was out here and there were people doing really cool stuff. I've now been here three years and I feel like I'm just getting started. It’s so refreshing to be around such a supportive music community. Everybody here is just super helpful and insanely talented. It's like the Olympics of musicians out here. 

How did you get into music?

HH: I got started by making beats with my brother in England. I made hip hop beats and stayed within hip hop and R&B, I was in small rap collectives and rap was really my primary genre. By the time I got to Nashville, my taste had kind of changed into  more instrument heavy, rock, indie rock, pop, alternative. Everything started meshing, even a little bit of country.

Do you think the indie-rock scene you’ve gravitated towards since living in Nashville is something you resonate with more than your rap music background?

HH: I want to blend genres together. We're seeing a lot of pop artists right now go country. I like that people find it so surprising that these genres are mixing together so well and that’s what I’m looking to do as well.

The end goal is to be able to rap and sing and do everything with a band. When I moved to Nashville I was seeing people at a restaurant sing better than I've ever seen at a headlining show in my life. I think it changed my approach. It made me realize I really have to bring together something new that people haven't seen before.

That's what we've been working on in the last year, bringing indie and rap into the same space. Most people listen to so many different genres, a mix of rap, folk, indie, rock, everything in there. So why don't we just have it in the same place? So right now my catalog is all over the place. There's so many songs. We have a whole project of rap songs and an indie rock album. It just comes down to pumping it out. We try to take our time on the release to make sure it all works out how we want it to.

Speed round: If you could write a soundtrack for a movie what movie would it be?

HH: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I would love to make the song for when Bella and Edward are dancing in Twilight.

Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

HH: Dominic Fike and King Krule are the first ones that come to mind. I’m always blending genres but I take a lot of inspiration from indie artists that lean into the R&B world. Frank Ocean is another big one.

What can people expect from Harris Hills in the future?

HH: We have an EP in the works. Right now, my engineer and I are trying to map out where we need to go with the music. We want to put a spotlight on the singles and make sure they're getting the love they deserve. If it were up to me, I would release a song every week. Definitely the next big plan is to do an EP.