Hendrix Harris Isn't Holding Anything Back As He Talks His Debut EP 'FALCON'

"Music is a conveyer of emotions to me. So my first goal is to transmit, create or amplify feelings for human beings. Without music, I honestly don’t know if I’d still be alive, or if I’d even want to be."

Parisian rapper and singer Hendrix Harris has recently released his first labour of love, debut EP 'Falcon'. It is a slick, quickfire amalgamation of funk, soul, and hip hop in which he dynamically switches between luxurious vocals and rapid-fire lyricism. New Wave fired over a few questions to Harris to get to know him a bit more as an artist.

First of all congratulations on the EP release! How do you feel now that ‘FALCON’ is Out?

Thanks a lot, honestly I feel blessed to finally have my first baby out in the world. This project represents two years of work, on and off, and to finally release it is relieving in the sense that I can move forward knowing my first instalment is out there now. I’m proud.

Do you have a favourite song on the EP? If so why/why not?

I obviously love each song on this project, but 5 A.M has a special flavour to me. I wrote this song in one of the most complicated times of my life, and it’s the most meaningful one to me ( the most recent one on the EP too ).

How have you grown in the past year as an artist, and how do you hope to grow in the future, both musically and personally?

I think I’m learning to know myself artistically and personally better as the journey goes.

Musically wise, the biggest change for me is that I’m now a full producer too. I’ve always found the chords, melodies and words for my songs but now I’m able to fully produce a track alone and that gives me a feeling of freedom I didn’t know I could ever experience.

I hope I’ll keep on getting better at it, but I’m not worried about that as I’ve learned from the best. (My dear friend Duke aka Lou Berry).

Tell us about some of your musical influences. Has music always been a big part of your life?

My musical influences come from so many different places. My mum is a soul/jazz

fan, we grew up on Otis, Billie, Ella, Miles...

My dad is the biggest music lover I know so his influences (Cuban music, rap, UK

rock, reggae, folk..) are everywhere in my music.

I had dreams of being a professional football (soccer) player when I was a kid but

by the age of 12, my dreams of being a singer triumphed the football dream. Since then music has been a vital part of my life.

When and why did you start making music as a means of creative output?

It really started when I entered high school when I was fifteen I guess, with one of my oldest friends Phil (I call him Fish Niowski).

What is your creative process like?

There are different recipes. Sometimes it starts with a chord on the piano or the synth, sometimes with a voice memo of a melody I recorded in the street. Now I’m a producer, It can also start with anything: a sample, a bass line, a few notes, a drum...

Then I usually record a few melodies on my phone, different ideas. Later on, I pick the strongest one and start writing on it. Though my process won’t be the same if I feel like rapping more than singing, or whispering more than screaming in the mic. Overall, I feel like there’s no rule to make a good song.

Songs such as AFTERMATH feel unambiguously personal, it is evident that you draw upon your own experiences. How does the rest of the EP you have written compare to this, SWEAT DROPS, for example?

The whole EP is personal, in the sense that I’m expressing what’s been happening these past years in my life and in my head.

I’m not talking from anyone else’s point of view but mine in the whole project. 'Sweat Drops' is the most frivolous song on 'FALCON’, I’m not talking about the deepest things that went through my head in this track, more about a few adventures I’ve had with women in the past. But still, it’s an extremely real, and personal song like every other song from the EP.

Do you have a particular interest in language? Your wordplay and lyrics would suggest so alongside the fact you sing in both English and Spanish (and do you also speak French?)

Languages have always played a prominent part of my life, as I have lived in Cuba, half of my family lives in England and all around the world, so I’ve travelled quite a lot.

I sing 98% of the time in English, one of the exception being that Spanish part on 'Should I’ ( made possible thanks to Raquel who wrote those beautiful words ).

I speak fluent French as I’ve spent the majority of my life in Paris and my father’s French. I’m just not really into French music.

Where can we see you next? Either online or live shows, taking into account current global pandemic!)

For now on my Instagram where I, step by step try to open myself more to this hyper-connected world. But hopefully, I’ll start playing shows as soon as this virus thing will have disappeared.

And finally, do you have any words of wisdom for our readers?

Stay home stay safe and for your own sake, go stream 'FALCON’.