Jason Harris
Singer/songwriter Halston Dare recently launched her highly anticipated lyric style music video release for the breakup anthem “Replace You,” which received over 200,000 streams on Spotify within only a few weeks of its release. “Replace You” was inspired by Halston Dare’s own experience with realizing her self worth. In an argument with her now ex-boyfriend, she realized that the way he was belittling her was not something she deserved and no longer wanted to put up with it. The next day, she made a comment about how he thinks he’s “irreplaceable” and at that moment, Halston knew she had to write a song to replace him.
With her unique aesthetic and diverse musical background, Halston Dare is a star on the rise. StarCentral Magazine recently caught up with Halston to discuss her journey in the music industry and her latest single and here’s what went down:
How did you get started in the music industry? How were you actually ‘discovered’?
I started songwriting and poetry in lower middle school and found that I had a passion for singing and writing and I wanted to continue further with it. I always knew I wanted to be a singer from a very young age. In 2017 I posted a cover of “Issues” by Julia Michaels and it went viral on Instagram and Facebook and all the radio stations in my hometown were doing articles on it!
What do you like most about singing?
Singing, writing, music is like therapy to me. It’s like another language to express myself without having to communicate as humans do. Music is literally a gateway to my soul and makes me feel understood.
Can you tell us about Replace You?
Replace You is the badass song that you need when you are getting ready to break up with somebody, or when your significant other is making you feel like you’re not worthy enough or good enough. Everybody is good enough, never let anybody make you question your worth because I did, and it sent me back so far you couldn’t even imagine.
What sort of person is going to love this single?
Definitely someone who is going through a heartbreak or having trouble understanding how beautiful they are and what they truly deserve.
What inspires you to be creative?
100% of the things that I experience. I only sing and write about things that I can relate to emotionally, physically, mentally. Anything that you have heard of my artistry is something that I have actually experienced myself, feelings wise, or maybe something that happened to me. I want to be as genuine as possible with my fans and transparent as much as I can be.
Is there anything special that you do to get into a creative mindset?
Nope. lol, just put me in a writing session, make sure I have my coffee and food and a good vibe!
What message, if any, do you try to put into your work?
That I/we am/are human. We have feelings that need to be felt. We’re not alone, we all actually have a lot in common. Transparency, genuine personality.
What has been the most memorable experience of your career so far?
June 28th, 2019. I opened up for Danity Kane at Irving Plaza in New York. It made me realize that all this hard work that I am doing someday is going to be paid off. It was one of the most beautiful performances I’ve ever experienced, the crowd was so accepting and loving, it was an unforgettable night. I hope my future shows will be as incredible as that sure was. To be honest, really, that night was going to decide whether I continued to sing or not and have my career, and God really showed me that this is my purpose on this earth.
What kinds of things inhibit you?
The only thing that inhibits me from expressing myself to the fullest is that I want to put so much into one song and I can’t because I’m limited to three minutes and 30 seconds. Sometimes my mind works so fast that I can’t remember things that I wanted to put down or write so it gets a little frustrating.
Who is your greatest influence?
Julia Michaels. Most incredible songwriter out there.
Do you feel that you chose your “passion,” or did it choose you?
Both. I chose my passion at a young age, no matter how many times I tried to run from it, it always found me again.
If you hadn’t chosen your field, what would your alternate field have been?
Collegiate basketball, marine biology/oceanography/astronomy/astrology, or something in the medical field.
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
TOUR TOUR TOUR! The only thing on my mind. Also, I’d like to reach 500k followers. That’d be a dream come true.
The ‘LIGHTNING FAST’ Round:
1. Last good movie I’ve seen: Ford v Ferrari
2. What do you consider beautiful and why? 85° beach day, jean shorts and a T-shirt, sunny but with some clouds, friends, and no agenda.
3. What haven’t you done yet that you wish you could? Go on tour with a respected artist I admire, go to a drive-in movie, travel to Santorini, Greece with the loml.
4. Complete this sentence: “If I had no fear, I’d…Go out every day in public and sing. I hate small crowds.”
5. What is the one “flaw” you wouldn’t change about yourself? It comes in handy sometimes, however it’s not always the best thing, I love so hard and so unconditionally and I have a very forgiving heart. Sometimes it hurts me because I don’t get the same effort and energy reciprocated back, however the way I love is beautiful and I’m proud of the way that I love others.
Jason Harris
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