“Get Away" is the musical manifestation of driving into the sunset with someone you love. The second single off Jonathan Harrington’s upcoming debut album TIME / PLACE, “Get Away” is an indie pop epic that takes listeners on a lyrical journey further and further from home, concluding with the quiet realization that being with someone you love is far more important than the place you are. Jonathan Harrington is a Tulsa-based singer-songwriter who released his debut single “Last Call” in April of 2022. “Get Away’ is a quintessential example of Jonathan’s unique style.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
What first got you into music?
I grew up surrounded by music. My dad played old folk and country songs on his guitar almost every day, my mom played piano, and everyone in my family is a fantastic singer. Learning guitar when my fingers got big enough (around 15-years-old) was sort of a foregone conclusion, although I didn’t truly become passionate about music until a little later. I listened almost exclusively to soundtracks (and the occasional singer-songwriter tune) as an adolescent, but I discovered indie folk and indie pop in late high school. I connected with it in a way I hadn’t with music before, and through those genres I experienced the power of music to make someone’s life better. I expanded my taste a lot from there.
What is your creative process like?
Generally, I write songs on my guitar: I pick a key and some chords, and just start testing out different strumming patterns. Then I’ll hum melodies over it and mumble random words. If something pretty comes from that, I’ll start thinking about what ideas/themes connect to the melody/mood. I keep a huge list of song topic ideas on my phone for inspiration. Usually the song snowballs from there, as I flesh out the lyrics, explore melodies for other parts of the song, and figure out the song’s pacing. Once that’s all finished, I’ll sit on the song for several months, fine tune the lyrics, and then take it into a producer. We then flesh out the song with new instruments and sonic ideas.
Your latest song is 'Get Away'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
I wrote “Get Away” five years ago, when I was eighteen. I’d written songs before that, and to be honest they were all quite horrendous. When I wrote Get Away, it was so clearly better than anything I had written up to that point. I wrote it in under two hours, and it felt like my conscious brain turned off so I could pour all my pent-up feelings of longing, discontent, and wanderlust into a single song. Today, I don’t think “Get Away” is anywhere near my best tune – I hope I’ve gotten a lot better over the past five years! – but “Get Away” is still the most special to me, and I think it can be special to others if the right people hear it. Bringing it to life in the studio and releasing it for the world to hear is genuinely a dream come true.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
Right now, I want to say marketing. Getting my music in front of ears is a huge challenge, and frankly I have no idea what I’m doing. That’s part of the fun, though – I’m making mistakes, but I get to learn and improve as I go.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
Failing to ensure expectations were clear and aligned with the people I worked with. Music is too ambiguous and the industry too confusing to not ensure you’re on the same page with everyone on your team.
How do you know when a work is finished?
When I can live with it! I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so it’s hard for me to let go of something I’m creating. As an upstart musician, though, I realize that perfection isn’t realistic, and that I just need to make good music to the best of my current ability. Then I need to let go, learning from the experience and applying that knowledge to my next song. The metric I use for each piece is to answer the questions: can I live with this? Does it encapsulate the feeling of the song? Are there glaring issues left to iron out? Will I be embarrassed looking back on this in two years? Once I have adequate answers, I force myself to move on.
What are your long-term goals?
First and foremost, my goal with music is to connect authentically with others, be a genuine encouragement to my fans, and bring beauty and joy to people’s lives. Any other goal must serve one of those purposes. That said, I would love to make a living writing, recording, and playing songs. Those are my favorite things to do, and I would love to spend my days in that way without excessive distraction. Whether that such a life comes thanks to a small fanbase or whether I sell out venues, I’m good with it. I want to be able to focus on the journey and enjoy doing music more than I want to achieve some arbitrary metric of success.
Do you have a mentor or coach?
My producers have given me some advice, but I do not have a mentor or a coach.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I’ve had some friends get extremely hype listening to my debut single “Last Call”, which was super fun. Several people have told me they really connected with “Get Away.” And honestly, my dad is completely obsessed with some of my songs. Hearing him idly hum them all the time is quite encouraging.
What are your plans for the future?
I have several more tracks from my debut album complete or almost complete, so I’m looking forward to rolling those out over the coming months. My third song, “Holding On To Me,” is currently set for late June. I’m in the midst of recording the remaining songs off the album. I’ve been preparing to have a strong TikTok and social media presence, so I’m looking forward to accelerating that side of things over the next week. And I’m pumped to start hitting open mics and maybe some small shows in the Tulsa area over the summer. I’ve had a hurt finger the past couple months that’s kept me from playing much guitar, so jumping back into live music – and hopefully seeing that grow – is incredibly exciting!