Skyler Harris

Now for a change of pace, coming from Memphis, Tn, Skyler Harris has been giving us chills with her smooth and silky voice. With covers like Kiss it better, to original work like ‘In your Arms’ to remakes when Beyonce suddenly moves a concert- don’t mess with the beehive, bey- Skyler proves she got what it takes, to take this music industry by storm. I had to take the opportunity to get to know the woman behind the voice.

First let me say you have an amazingly beautiful voice! I’m sure you’ve heard that a lot, how long have you been singing and when did you start to get serious with it?

Awww, Thanks! I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember, (as cliché as that sounds!) I wrote my very first song, ‘Crush on You (Baby Don’t You Know?)’ when I was in the second grade— and yes, I still remember every word! Recently, I decided to really invest in myself and in my music. I’m always telling other people, other women especially, “invest in yourself, girl!” Now, I’m finally doing it for myself.

You have to take you own advice! You have a big vocal range! With a voice like that who are your musical influences?

Oh my God! Everybody!!! Jazmine Sullivan, definitely though, just because her voice is incredibly raw and she could sing the alphabet and by the time she got to L-M-N, I’d be crying! As far as my songwriting influences, Babyface— He has the ability to write from ANY perspective and create timeless works of art every single time!

I’m glad you said it, your voice outs me in the mind set of Jasmine Sullivan with the runs and range that you have. You do a lot of covers, recently we’ve gotten to hear some original work, is this something you plan to do full time? Where do you see yourself in the music industry?

Every now and then, I hear a song that I absolutely love and that has more emotion than I think the production allows. I love taking songs that you usually dance to or blast without really hearing the words and slowing them down and bringing those words out— sometimes even changing the lyrics to better fit my story, as I did with Rihanna’s “Higher”. For me, it’s always about feelings. The same goes for my original music. I want you to feel something when you hear my songs. What I would like to do as far as the industry goes, is write songs. Not just sending in demos and reference tracks for someone to make a carbon copy of—but really sitting down with an artist and finding out where they are emotionally, what they want the world to hear, coming up with music and a sound based on that!

I like that interaction, you really get a sense of who the person is and what they are actually trying to achieve with their music. I feel like that art has been lost, but real singers are slowly making a comeback in the music industry, which is something I’m all here for! i love me a good ballad, I feel like its been missing for far too long. What would you like to see change within the music industry?

I’d like to see the music at the forefront. There are so many artists whose songs I’ve never heard, but I can tell you who they dated, where they shop, [and] who they are beefing with, all because of  the blogs they’ve been featured in. So many amazing artists are completely unknown because they don’t have a reality show or some type of scandal keeping them in our minds!

Took the words right out of my mouth! We need to get back to letting the music do the talking. You mentioned earlier that you’re always telling girls “invest in yourself girl”, which I think is so important because so often we are told what to do and these expectations are already set and sometimes our dreams and passions can be lost in trying to rise to the expectation. What advice would you give to people who are struggling to follow their dreams and passions?

Don’t think about the recognition. Your gift will always make room for you!! Whether 5 or 500 people hear you, see you, hear about you— just ensure that whatever you’re putting out is an authentic version of yourself! I struggled so hard thinking that I had to sing about what people wanted to hear, but I later realized that my heart wasn’t in it— and although people were paying attention, they weren’t being moved because I forgot that giving myself was the most important.

Can i get an Amen! I loved that, so many people struggle with thinking they have to be this perfect, unreal, or enhanced version of themselves and forget that nobody is really that way. In fact those that make the waves and are are remembered for the work were those that were themselves authentically. So for those that don’t know – and if you don’t you should by now!-Where can we hear your music and when can we expect new music?

I’ve mostly been focusing on pitching songs, but I have decided to release an EP this summer so definitely be on the lookout for that! Until then, you can expect more covers of some of your favorite songs on facebook, youtube, and my sound cloud.

I will keep my eye on that. Im looking forward to a certain Jasmine Sullivan cover *achem*. Thank you to Skyler Harris for taking the time out to do this interview! You can find her music and new single on Youtube at http://youtube.com/skylerc2008 or on sound cloud at http://soundcloud.com/skylerharris-1 or her website at https://skylerharris.com. Also follow her on IG-@Reaching4Sky

Until next time guys!

XOXO