The UK's hottest rising pop star and one of 2019’s BBC Radio 1 Brit List artists, HRVY, is already a global star. He has 4.6 million Instagram followers, over 2.4 million YouTube subscribers and more than 850 million combined streams to his name.
The UK's hottest rising pop star and one of 2019’s BBC Radio 1 Brit List artists, HRVY, is already a global star. He has 4.6 million Instagram followers, over 2.4 million YouTube subscribers and more than 850 million combined streams to his name.
Flanked on stage by a troupe of backing dancers, in December he sold out his biggest ever UK headline gig at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. HRVY brought a full-on performance in the mould of Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez. "Every time I get up there, I want it to be a big show," he explains. "I'm a young artist so I want to make it fresh and keep the energy up. I think performing with my dancers makes the show visually amazing, too. It's definitely stepped up the whole experience for fans."
Fans are also enjoying HRVY's super-slick moves in the videos for singles 'Personal', 'Hasta Luego' and ‘Told You So’. "As a new artist you have to try and make a statement, otherwise you'll never be able to break out of the box," HRVY says. "So many people find their music on YouTube and social media nowadays so you have to make something that really grabs their attention."
HRVY's 2018 single 'I Wish You Were Here' was a UK airplay hit playlisted by Radio 1 and Capital FM. It offered the perfect introduction to HRVY's cool, concise pop sound and was a worthy follow-up to his 2017 smash ’Personal’, which has now amassed more than 400m combined streams. Last summer, he joined huge dance producer Jonas Blue on stage at Capital's Summertime Ball. He also teamed up with Cuban-American rising star Malu Trevejo for the bilingual bop 'Hasta Luego', which became a No.1 hit in nine markets worldwide.
At just 20 years old, in 2018 HRVY was nominated for both a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award & a BBC Radio 1 Teen Award. He also headlined the Radio 1 Teen Awards in October performing two tracks to the sell-out crowd and becoming one of the most watched performances from the event. He was also one of the faces of JD Sports Christmas advertising campaign featuring in a National TV campaign and instore activity across the country.
However hectic his schedule gets, HRVY finds time to connect with his growing social media fanbase. "I just post what I want and show people what I'm doing in my everyday life. It's mainly just fun stuff, really. But I always keep in mind who's watching my content. I've got a younger audience so I don't really tend to swear because I don't want to set a bad example. And if I'm having a bad day where I don't want to see myself on camera, I probably won't post as much. I'm like everyone in that respect, really."
This relatable quality is surely a key part of HRVY's appeal. “I think I'm pretty good at staying down-to-earth," HRVY says. “I’ve literally been on stage at The O2 Arena with 20,000 people watching me, and then gone straight back to my bedroom to chill and watch YouTube. And I love that! Everything does change, but it doesn't change at the same time."
For HRVY, 2019 started as he means to go on, having already sold out shows in Korea and visited Mexico, Japan and taken his headline tour throughout Europe plus released his latest single, ‘Told You So’ which amassed over 3 million combined streams in its first week, the year will continue to bring more great music, more live shows and supporting The Vamps on their UK tour this May, plus a debut performance at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and more new territories to explore.
"Music's become much more global in the last few years and I want to be part of that," he says. "I want people all around the world to know the name HRVY stands for a really big, amazing show."
