News Ren Harvieu: ‘I’ve Got A Different Perspective On Things Now’

It’s safe to say Manchester singer songwriter Ren Harvieu has had her fair share of set backs. Having had her career put on hold by a terrible accident earlier this year she’s more determined than ever to make her uniquely styled soul and jazz shaped mark on the music scene. Jimmy Blake caught up with her to find out about her recovery, supporting Elbow and how her single ‘Through The Night’ has helped her betray her beloved Northern roots.

Where did it all start for you? What was it that got you inspired to first take to the stage and start your career?
Well to do honest, I completely fell into it. It was never an aspiration for me as a young kid, it was never like; “I’m gonna be a star.” My mum pushed me into doing these talent shows in Salford and I didn’t really like it to be honest, I thought it was a bit shit. But then I realised I was just doing the wrong sort of thing - I met a load of musicians and started working with them and realised singing was the best thing on earth.

Now you’ve realised you actually quite like it, do you feel it’s more of an achievement to break through from that environment, with a unique style in a more unconventional way rather than taking a more mainstream route like the Brit School for example?
I don’t know what Brit School’s like, it’s probably great but I wasn’t a Brit school kind of kid. I went to a Primark version of it in Salford which didn’t go very well. I mean everyone’s different but I really don’t think it would have been right for me.

Within your music you can hear a huge range of influences, from soul and jazz to country. Where did all these influences emerge from?
I watched a lot of films when I was a kid, from old Disney stuff to musicals. My Mum’s always been massively into music and my Dad used to play gigs around Salford with his guitar so it was always around me. I guess I just took it all in.

Did you ever struggle or take extra care to develop ‘your sound’, allowing all these influences make an appearance in your tracks or do they just emerge organically?
Yeah, it was difficult. I was 18 and I had to write an album and I was thinking, ‘Who am I?’ When I started working with my producer, Jimmy Hogarth, I’d turn up and say; “I want it to be like Dolly Patron, but it needs to sound like Billy Holiday, it needs to sound like Bowie.” There were just so many inspirations that I ended up doing about 60 songs before we arrived at something we liked. We were just paying around and something just sounded right. There was something about the sound we were making that we just really liked.

Know you’ve got that sound, you’ve been compared to some huge names from Dusty Springfield, Peggy Lee and even Amy Winehouse. How does it feel to be compared to artists like that?
I mean the people I’ve been compared to are fantastic so I guess it’s a massive compliment.

Do these comparisons at such an early stage of your career put you under pressure or do they give you more motivation?
I don’t know. I guess I’m not proclaiming it myself, it’s other people saying it so it’s quite nice. It’s not like I go home and say (puts on a diva-ry whisper-voice); ‘Yeah! I’m the new Dusty.’ When I hear things like that it’s more ‘Oh, that’s nice.’

These comparisons have come about because lyrically and stylistically you sound much older than your 21 years. How does the writing process work for you?
Well it’s a skill so I have to work at it. These types of things don’t just happen. With the album it was a long period of working really hard. I’d get the train to London with loads of bags and try and get on with it as much as I could. It was really, really difficult.

Was the album a forced together then?
Luckily I had loads of time to make it. I was 18 when I got signed plus Jimmy [Hogarth] is really laid back. So for the first year we’d just listen to loads of records for inspiration. For that first bit of time we’d just sit around, drink whiskey and listen to music so it wasn’t forced at all.

The single, Through The Night, is out on Jan 16th but it was supposed to be out this summer wasn’t it? There was a bit of a life changing event that pushed it and a lot of other things back wasn’t there?
Yeah, I might have broken my back. Everything had to be put on hold for a while which was pretty fucking annoying! I’m still recovering a bit now, everything was just pushed back. I’d finished the album and I was going onto perform at Glastonbury and loads of other really exciting stuff so I was really angry that I was stuck in hospital and couldn’t do anything about it, I was furious. The only thing that helped me was thinking about being able to get out and start being a singer again.

What affect has the incident had on your outlook on your music and opportunities you get now? Has it changed the way you present yourself as a musician?
When something like that happens to a person it does change you. The only positive I can take from that horrible time is that I’ve got depth as a person because I’ve been through something so traumatic. Something that helped me get through was keeping a journal, it’s a gorgeous distressed leather bound thing. It was the only thing I could do in hospital, I couldn’t move so I’d write. I was on numerous amounts of drugs and I’d just be talking to myself in the journal. I think about things differently, I’ve got a different perspective on things now. I think about things I wouldn’t have done before.

Are you now more motivated to get other chances to play at the sort of events you missed out on?
I was determined before but now there’s no stopping me. If you have something like that happen to you, singing just seems so easy. Being in hospital drags any sort of life out of you so I just had to keep thinking about the opportunities that were waiting for me when I got out.

I guess one of those opportunities was the Little Noise Sessions you played last night with Elbow. How was it?
Amazing. I’ve never performed in a church before, and there’s something very special about playing somewhere like that. It was just me and my keyboard player so it was very stripped back. I was terrified but I loved every second of it and I got to watch Elbow afterwards which was wicked!
I loved being a part of something good. There was a lovely audience made even better because they knew it was all going towards a good cause. It was a great night to be a part of.

That was a pretty big event for you but I also heard Through the Night appeared in Eastenders…
Ha, yeah I feel like I’ve kind of portrayed Coronation Street though because I’m from the North. I watched it and I quite liked it, I wanted to know what was going on next week. I might be a fan!

And you’re currently on tour with James Morrison, right?
Yeah, I’ve already done five dates with him. He gives you loads of sound check time, he’s really lovely and dead polite as well so I’m really looking forward to the rest of it.

Have you received any words of wisdom from the artists you’ve supported?
Well no not really, I haven’t really had enough time to sit down and have a big chat with them yet. I’ve had a lot of really good advice from James Allan [Glasvegas front-man], I know him quite well. Maybe I should get more tips off them though.

After the tour I guess the album’s the next big thing. Are you excited or nervous about it?
Both! I mean I’m excited to promote it because I’m proud of it. I just hope people listen to it and come and see me play. I’ve done it now so there’s not much more I can do. Whatever happens, happens…