Melbourne musician Harts' work ethic is unbelievable.
Born Darren Hart, he’s been working hard on a number of projects for 2018.
But he makes no secret of how he keeps up with his busy schedule. “I’m just running on youth adrenalin for now, before I get too old,” he laughs.
Harts has made a name for himself in Australia with his acclaimed albums, his 2014 debut ‘Daydreamer’ and his 2016 follow-up ‘Smoke Fire Hope Desire’.
Having built a base for himself in Australia, Harts spent 2017 beginning his conquest of the US. “I’ve really liked the challenge of starting from scratch again, in a way,” he says.
“I enjoy thinking of strategies and figuring out ways we can find people who’d be interested in the music that I make and connect with them. That was the biggest hurdle as well as the most fun experience because it was like winning over every audience that I played to.”
Harts has gained fans in artists such as The Roots and departed icon Prince. His music has reached a wider audience thanks to his song ‘Power’ featuring in the DC Comics NBC sitcom ‘Powerless’.
But 2018 will see Harts working harder yet, where he’ll be releasing a live recording and a new album. “It’s still funk-pop-rock music, I guess, but there’s a lot more strings and brass than guitars. Stuff for that will start to be rolled out in February or March onwards.
"It was all recorded in my house, which is the way I’ve done my last three albums. I’m excited for people to hear all the new stuff I’ve got coming out.”
Much like his hero Prince, Harts is looking to the future to utilise technological advancements, a topic he was invited to speak about at the American Recording Academy.
His lips are sealed on what it exactly is, but his excitement is high. “After this album I’m really going to sit down and think about whether I want to make more albums in the future because I’m thinking of changing my output stream.
“I can’t really say too much, but I just think the album format is a bit dated and dead. I’m trying to figure out ways of me being able to deliver more music per year and not having it restricted by the format of it being an album.
“So, in that regard, I think this may be the last physical album that I do before I go on to a new output direction and figuring out what I want to put out as an artist and how I can challenge the medium of the album.”
Next up though, Harts will be performing back home in Australia at Byron Bay’s Bluesfest. He’s unsure if new material will be performed before it’s released as he wants fans to hear his vision first rather than a live version.
But with or without new songs, Harts’ high-energy performances will be a must-see. “I think it’s a little more enjoyable for people to see us in a festival environment because we have a big stage, big production, big sound, I have more room to move and I’m not restricted by stage size.
"So, I think the festival environment really suits the current band line-up that I’ve got and I’m actually really looking forward to it.”
