By Lindy Rybloom

Harriette adds significant depth to the world of bedroom pop by carefully placing allusions into her tunes. She draws listeners in with her unusual lyrical approach including distinctive use of puns and plays-on-words. Harriette’s rise to fame can be accredited to TikTok as she has shot straight to the top since getting her start in 2021 and gaining popularity by the day. Born and raised in Texas, Harriette reveals the notable impact of social media on the music industry and how it can be a gateway into the world of music production for those lucky enough to go viral. She is currently finishing a tour of European cities where she has been opening concerts for the Norwegian singer, Girl In Red.

Released in 2021 with over 700,000 listens on Spotify, Harriette’s addictive jam “Wednesday” is laced with references to The Addams Show, Ash Wednesday, and John Steinbeck’s novel, Sweet Thursday, among other Wednesday-related puns. The tune speaks to misunderstood siblings as it yearns for having “middle child syndrome.” Repetitively admitting to “playing the part of everybody’s woe,” this track uses the perspective of a weekday as it pleads for a better life free from the struggles of being a young girl.

Bleeding into her song “Goodbye Texas,” Harriette illustrates moving away from her home state and venturing into adulthood. With mentions of the Lone Star, we begin to understand her humble beginnings in the southern state. Harriette’s fresh take on songwriting gives listeners a newfound sense of appreciation for the process of writing and producing music while simultaneously giving fans a look into her personal life. Harriette sings, “Goodbye, yellow roses” over and over, alluding to the 19th-century story of Emily Morgan, the original “Yellow Rose of Texas.” The attention to detail throughout “Goodbye Texas” depicts a romantic image of southern womanhood and femininity making her song more compelling and complex than one might realize on the first listen.

Around a year ago I deleted TikTok in hopes of cleansing myself of the downsides of social media. But I did one thing before completely erasing the app from my device and forgetting it ever existed. Before removing the app, I had to save all my favorite videos from Harriette’s profile to my camera roll as a way to verify that, even without the app, I could still enjoy her smooth-as-butter voice. Almost a year later, I still return to those videos and tune out the noise of the world to the calming voice that is Harriette. Her covers echo the sound of Laurel Canyon geniuses like Joni Mitchell who blazed the trail for female singer-songwriters while also claiming this fresh sound only found in an artist of the 21st century. Harriette’s accolades are manifesting themselves through the breadth of her talents as her discography grows and she prepares to release her first EP in late April cleverly titled, “I Heart the Internet.” Listen along to Harriette’s catchy tunes and join me by grabbing yourself a front-row ticket to her music career.