Harry T Pope is a 23-year-old independent artist from the village of Croxley Green, just outside of Watford. With eclectic influences from all genres, his music fuses catchy pop melodies with jazz harmony, rock energy, classical instrumentation, and soulful vocals. This approach is evident in the string of singles he has released independently since his debut, ‘Stay Away’, in January, leading to his August-released debut EP, ‘A Different Kind’. Each track of the EP introduces a different style and a new side to Harry’s writing, with the title track contrasting the theme of monogamy and romantic commitment with the raucous sound of rock-giants such as Queen, The Beatles, Mötley Crüe, My Chemical Romance, and more. Contrastingly, ‘22 Now’, the pop-iest corner of his offerings, is the shortest and fastest track, expressing the confusion of life in your 20s. Then, the jangly, indie-flavoured ‘What We’ve Become’ portrays daydreams of escaping the monotony of everyday life, with hints of Latin influence in its mariachi cornets and salsa rhythms. Next is the almost-7-minute jazz ballad, ‘11:11’, complete with a piano trio, flugelhorn solo, and orchestral strings, written for his wife with direct, candid story-telling lyrics. Closing with the funky belter, ‘Stay Away’, Harry’s diverse stylistic approaches prevent a single formula from being derived from his output – one never quite knows what they are going to get. Despite having written songs from the young age of 8, Harry never expected to be a singer, let alone a solo artist. It was not until the end of his time studying music at King’s College London that Harry realised his ambition to release his own music, meeting his best friend and collaborator, Alex Baker, who has co-produced and performed drum kit, percussion, and brass on all his tracks so far. It was also through King’s College London that Harry and Alex met most of the band, forming the function band, Fleet Street Beats. Their early gigs across London – ranging from black-tie events to rowdier student bar evenings – played a crucial role in strengthening their cohesion as an ensemble and building their bond as best mates. After a busy first year of recording and releasing his own music, this will likely be Harry’s last performance of 2024, as the focus turns towards recording the remaining tracks due to feature on his debut album that he hopes to release in 2025.