Recently, we had the privilege of sitting down with the platinum-certified singer-songwriter, Karen Harding. Hosted by Sarah Bo Parker at our Orsman Road campus who studied on our Radio Broadcasting degree course in London, Karen shares lots of wisdom on carefully navigating the music industry, her approach to making hit records, advice for aspiring artists and how to find your unique voice.
Early in the conversation, she kicks things off by recounting the serendipitous experience of writing her breakout hit, “Say Something,” with British songwriter-producer MNEK and the label bidding war that ensued as a result. With an extensive catalogue and over 90 writing credits to her name, Karen emphasises the use of a great music lawyer and advocates for signing publishing with a different company than the one you sign your record deal with.
If all this talk on songwriting has you ready to learn all there is to know about making your own music… You can gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in the music industry with our cutting-edge degree programs. Studying at pointblank gives you access to our state-of-the-art facilities with our main studio featuring a 48-Channel SSL Duality Delta mixing console and fully equipped workspaces with an iMac, Native Instruments Maschine MK III, Komplete Kontrol keyboards and more. Enrol now to study in London, LA or online!
Taking from her experience featuring and co-writing on the infectious tunes of dancefloor heroes including Royksopp, Galantis, Tujamo, Felix Cartel, Wilkinson, Example, and Purple Disco Machine, she discusses how to make space for other people’s ideas in the studio and learning when to speak up vs letting other people take the lead.
As the conversation progresses, she touches on her relationship with social media as both a promotional tool and a place to connect on a deeper level with her fanbase as well as keeping her mental health intact by remembering that social media numbers are not the end all and be all of success in music.
As the session comes to a close, Karen answers questions on how to find the perfect vocalist for your tracks, the patterns she’s seen amongst her most successful collaborators and gives advice on developing your technical ability as a singer.
If our conversation today has filled you with inspiration and ignited your passion for performing, our Music Production and Vocal Performance degree would be the perfect course for you. It includes modules like Vocal Musicianship that touches on ear training and navigating different genres as a singer, as well as modules like studio vocal production where you can learn how to comp the perfect vocal just like Karen. For more info on all our degrees visits this page here.
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