Meet Jackson Harris.
While he did attend a prep school in Riverdale, NY, wear a blazer every day and take classes in the 9th grade that you probably didn’t take until you went to college, he didn’t fit in to a cookie cutter mold of the prep-school boy. “I pretty much knew since about 8th grade what I wanted to do. I wasn’t a good student; I just wanted to graduate so I could focus on my music. I couldn’t do my homework – it wasn’t that I didn’t understand what was being taught or being asked of me, it’s just that I would spend my time after school writing songs and learning to play music.”
With a noticeable “ear” when he banged out tunes on a tiny toy piano at the age of three, to being moved out of the chorus to a solo spot in a lower school play, there was never any doubt to Jackson where his career would lie. However, this wasn’t what was expected from a student at one of the top schools in America. Instead of immersing himself in his studies, he immersed himself in music. First it was the James Taylor and Michael Jackson his mother played him, then the ‘N Sync and Backstreet Boys his sister made him listen to (“It gave me a good sense of pop, and melody and schooled me on what girls want to hear.”) and later, the Fallout Boy and My Chemical Romance his suburban friends would introduce him to.
Watch Jackson's "Empire State of Mind" video and get his EP (all original material other than "Empire State of Mind") will be released October 12th on a subsidiary label of Universal (77 East) and his single is available now on Itunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/long-story-short-radio-edit/id384481293?i=384481351&ign-mpt=uo%3D4).
While a good story is in the telling, Jackson made it his business to tell those tales in four-minute capsules. The creation of his songs came from the strength that motivated him to challenge opportunity. His musicality is the outcome of lessons learned by living a life that is uniquely Jackson. While his exposure to many of the better things was plentiful, he never used it to get further. Instead he infused himself with a complete confidence, taught himself to play guitar by watching musicians such as John Mayer and Coldplay on youtube, and got to work.
What has emerged is ‘Long Story Short,’ a stunning debut of six tracks in the classic pop vein – think One Republic, Maroon 5, Steve Winwood and a dash of early 80s Phil Collins - that cover all the emotions, loves, heartbreaks and struggles a young person experiences. It was important to Jackson to be able to articulate his feelings through his song writing. “For me, it’s all about that one idea that you can’t get out of your head. When you hear my record I want the listener to feel like ‘hey, that’s me.’ I found my sound by writing about what I know.”
This epiphany would prove to be the thread that holds together ‘Long Story Short.’ Produced & written by Jackson, Valentine (Push Play), Andy Marvel (Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson, Celine Dion) and Jeff Franzel (‘N Sync, Taylor Dayne, The Temptations), perhaps nothing describes this feeling better than the instantly catchy lead single, “Long Story Short.” Explains Jackson “This song was born out of a necessity, because I hated going to parties with my old friends who would ask, ‘where do you go to school?’ ‘What do you do?’ I do something different, and it became too hard to keep telling every one, so I wrote this song to explain why I chose this path. This is real to me. I am not in it for fame or money; it’s what I love to do. As I say in the song, ‘I am taking the road less travelled.’”
The recording of the anthemic “Long Story Short” defined the direction of the entire album, which also includes Jackson’s new lyrical take on “Empire State of Mind,” as well as the hooky heartache saga “When it Rains” and the soaring “I Don’t Speak Silence,” a relatable tale of breaking up. As Jackson tells it, some of his best work comes when he’s at his lowest. “I was dating a girl and she was the type that didn’t communicate. When she would have problems with me, she wouldn’t voice them. She wanted me to know what she was thinking, and I said to her “I don’t speak silence, I only make noise” – it’s me singing to this girl, telling her it’s not that I don’t love you, but we have to talk to one another to make this work.”
With his six-song EP under his belt, fans clamoring to his Facebook and Twitter pages and New York and LA showcases scheduled, Jackson no longer stresses out when he’s at parties. “Now, when people ask me where I went to school, I say UCLA – Under the Corner of Lexington Avenue! By the end of listening to this record, you will know what it took for me to get here. I went to the school of life. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done and the music I am making. This album is my diploma.”
What has emerged is ‘Long Story Short,’ a stunning debut of six tracks in the classic pop vein – think One Republic, Maroon 5, Steve Winwood and a dash of early 80s Phil Collins - that cover all the emotions, loves, heartbreaks and struggles a young person experiences. It was important to Jackson to be able to articulate his feelings through his song writing. “For me, it’s all about that one idea that you can’t get out of your head. When you hear my record I want the listener to feel like ‘hey, that’s me.’ I found my sound by writing about what I know.”
This epiphany would prove to be the thread that holds together ‘Long Story Short.’ Produced & written by Jackson, Valentine (Push Play), Andy Marvel (Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson, Celine Dion) and Jeff Franzel (‘N Sync, Taylor Dayne, The Temptations), perhaps nothing describes this feeling better than the instantly catchy lead single, “Long Story Short.” Explains Jackson “This song was born out of a necessity, because I hated going to parties with my old friends who would ask, ‘where do you go to school?’ ‘What do you do?’ I do something different, and it became too hard to keep telling every one, so I wrote this song to explain why I chose this path. This is real to me. I am not in it for fame or money; it’s what I love to do. As I say in the song, ‘I am taking the road less travelled.’”
The recording of the anthemic “Long Story Short” defined the direction of the entire album, which also includes Jackson’s new lyrical take on “Empire State of Mind,” as well as the hooky heartache saga “When it Rains” and the soaring “I Don’t Speak Silence,” a relatable tale of breaking up. As Jackson tells it, some of his best work comes when he’s at his lowest. “I was dating a girl and she was the type that didn’t communicate. When she would have problems with me, she wouldn’t voice them. She wanted me to know what she was thinking, and I said to her “I don’t speak silence, I only make noise” – it’s me singing to this girl, telling her it’s not that I don’t love you, but we have to talk to one another to make this work.”
With his six-song EP under his belt, fans clamoring to his Facebook and Twitter pages and New York and LA showcases scheduled, Jackson no longer stresses out when he’s at parties. “Now, when people ask me where I went to school, I say UCLA – Under the Corner of Lexington Avenue! By the end of listening to this record, you will know what it took for me to get here. I went to the school of life. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done and the music I am making. This album is my diploma.”
For more on Jackson Harris visit:
http://twitter.com/Jackson_Harris
http://www.facebook.com/jacksonharrisnyc
http://www.shorefire.com/clients/jharris
http://www.facebook.com/jacksonharrisnyc
http://www.shorefire.com/clients/jharris