Harvey Leigh Cantwell, aka HRVY, is the guy of every teenage girl’s dream. With sky blue eyes and a blonde hairdo, the 27-year-old lad is a fountain of talent. HRVY is like your boy next door, casual and down to earth. His first ever live performance at Mumbai’s Hard Rock Cafe in 2018 was sold out with many claiming his performance was truly astounding. He also performed at Nykaaland in 2023 where he had the girls joining in singing his songs. His alluring face, million dollar smile and attractive looks, all go to make him a real charmer.
HRVY is today one of the most searched singers with his songs hot favourites with teens, his lyrics, most stemming from his personal life experiences. From his debut song Thank You to songs like Holiday, Personal, Phobia, to the latest singles Lie to Me and more recently Hesitate, his tracks are making waves. Before his fame on social media, HRVY was a presenter on BBC’s Friday Download.
While his name is on every teens lips, we can’t but wonder, why the Londoner from Kent, chose HRVY and not his real name. We choose to find out this and lot more when we got exclusive access to the dashing youngster.
Excerpts from the interview:
Your new single Hesitate explores vulnerability and uncertainty. What personal experiences inspired the song and what does the song speak about?
Hesitate is really about trusting your gut and not letting fear stop you from doing something. I think we’ve all had those moments where we over think something so much that we end up missing the opportunity. Whether that’s telling someone how you feel, taking a chance in your career or just living more in the moment. I’m definitely guilty of over thinking a lot. So I wanted to write a song that almost reminds me to take my own advice and just shoot your shot.
The title Hesitate suggests a moment of pause. Was there a specific emotion or situation you wanted listeners to connect with?
I wanted people to think about those moments where they’re holding themselves back. It’s also such a summery, driving with the roof down song, so even if people don’t fully connect to the lyrics at least they might feel something with the production and melodies.
You are due to release an EP ‘Bliss’ in September. Can you give a sneak peek into what we can expect?
It’s definitely my most honest project yet. Sonically it feels really cohesive but every song has its own personality. I’ve waited such a long time to release another EP, I’m really proud of it and I hope people like at least 1 song on it. It’s a really good introduction to the bigger story I’m building towards with the album coming soon after.
What music did you listen to while you were growing up?
I listened to so much different music. My parents would buy the “now 38” or “now 40” album discs for Christmas and it would have all the biggest pop hits from that year. I also grew up listening to Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber. I guess it was a real mix of pop, R&B and singer songwriter music.
You’ve been in the music industry since the age of 14. What have been your biggest learning’s along the way?
Patience is probably the biggest one. Nothing happens overnight, even if it looks like it does from the outside. I’ve learned that everyone has setbacks and moments where they question themselves. I question myself all the time. The important thing is just to keep creating, keep learning and not compare your journey to anyone else’s. That’s hard with social media these days, seeing people do incredible things, but everyone’s on their own path.
You have a huge fan following in India. What are your favourite memories of Mumbai, and what do you love most about India?
I absolutely loved it. The energy is incredible and everyone made me feel so welcome. The fans were unbelievably passionate, the food was amazing and I just remember how alive the city felt. Every time I’ve been to India I’ve left wanting to come back again.
So are there any plans to perform in India in the near future?
I’d absolutely love to. Nothing I can announce just yet, but India has always been somewhere I’ve wanted to come back to. Hopefully we can make it happen real soon. I’m getting more and more messages from people on Instagram telling me to come back so I’m desperately trying to make it happen.
Any special Indian fan experience?
Definitely. It’s honestly crazy when you travel halfway across the world and people know every single lyric to a song you wrote or just appreciate you being in their home country. I remember doing a big meet and greet outside in Bandra west and it was so crowded, must have been a few hundred people waiting for me. It was kind of scary but so amazing to meet fans and supporters.
The last time you visited India, you spoke about wanting to collaborate with Shah Rukh Khan and Arijit Singh. Has that dream moved any closer to reality?
Not yet, unfortunately. But I’d still absolutely love to. I think the
