Country Singer Harriette on Social Media and Going Viral

Like most people, new-wave country singer Harriette has a complicated relationship with the internet. After all, TikTok kick-started the 23-year-old singer-songwriter’s career after she posted a snippet of an original tune, “at least i’m pretty,” on her account. It was then that she decided to drop out of New York City’s Parsons School of Design and stay in Brooklyn to focus on music full-time. But she soon found out that being an artist on social media can be exhausting, to say the least, especially after her debut EP, i heart the internet, came out at the end of April.

“I think I love and hate the internet, as everyone does. I think it’s made it harder naming my EP i heart the internet with press and being an artist in this day and age, because people really want you to be online and be an artist on the internet and have another ‘hashtag’ viral moment, which is kind of frustrating,” Harriette says, adding that such online moments are inherently spontaneous, so trying to intentionally spark another digital wildfire seems a bit contradictory.

And creating a guitar-wielding alter ego takes too much time and energy, so Harriette, who still handles and posts all of her own social media content, has decided to just keep it real.

“I’m really just enjoying doing this and being a human interacting with other people online. I don’t like having to sell myself to the internet and be like, ‘Like my posts and interact with me.’ It feels weird. At least at first it felt super weird,” she says. “But I think I found my new footing, my new era of the internet. It always changes. I feel this way one day, and then I feel another way another day. I just think that’s just how it goes and that’s how life is, especially with the internet. Everything on the internet is such an extreme, anyway, so I think you’re going to feel opposite ways about it naturally.”

While she always wrote and played music growing up in Texas, Harriette admits she’s had to learn how to deal with being a rising star and professional musician more and more.

“I just need to stay in the voice as me as a human. At the end of the day, me as a human is still the artist, still the writer and the person giving you the product. I think I just need to stay in my true self,” she says. “That’s honestly where the best music comes from and where the best content comes from, too. At first I was trying to switch between the two [on social media] and it was really confusing, but I don’t do that as much anymore.”

Harriette is currently on the road promoting i heart the internet, while opening for joan. The tour stops at Denver’s Larimer Lounge on Wednesday, June 14. Performing live has been another learning curve that she’s enjoying so far.

“It’s been really cool to see some fans come out to the show and know every word and see what their favorite songs are,” she says, adding that she’s “glad it’s out there and out of my hands.”

“It’s hard for me to relate to it within my reality, because it’s kind of a bizarre thing that happens. People reaching out and relating to a personal experience of yours is kind of crazy, but it’s super fulfilling, especially being at the shows and seeing how people react to the songs in person,” she continues. “It’s an amazing experience. It’s been really cool.”

Of course, the internet is a great way to connect with fans, particularly on social media, even though “everything’s a learning curve,” as she puts it, and she’s “figuring out my vibe” on tour.

“They can expect me to be really honest, especially now that I’m figuring out what my stage presence is, and my banter. I feel like I’m very feel-out-the-vibe, in-the-moment [at concerts],” she adds.

One of Harriette’s trademarks is her honest lyrics, as well. Take a song like “Fucking Married,” which is about finding out that her ex got hitched. “I wish you the best, but sounds like shit. And I’m so glad I’m not it,” she sings.

Then there’s “Goodbye Texas,” essentially a breakup song about how she doesn’t fit in the state, especially politically, with lyrics such as, “And if I don’t vote Republican, can I still come home again around Christmas?”

Harriette uses irony and sarcasm expertly. There’s a little bit of that in the album title, too, if you couldn’t tell at this point.

Musically, Harriette says she’s inspired by female artists from Fiona Apple to The Chicks, or any badass woman who plays the music she wants.

“This record specifically, I was really inspired by Clairo and Haim, mainly girls. Honestly, I’m the most inspired by girls, and I only really care to listen to female artists,” Harriette adds. “I just think women who can speak about their experience are awesome in general – any experience and any moment in time. I just love when women speak and write.”

Harriette, 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer Street. Tickets are $22.