Harper Grace Previews New Music And Talks Going Viral For The Wrong Reason As She Closes The Holler Saloon Stage At C2C 2024

Harper Grace closed out Holler’s Saloon Stage on the final day of C2C Festival 2024 with a stripped back acoustic set, inspirational stories and a good old dose of southern hospitality.

Speaking to Absolute Radio’s Jennie Longdon, the Texas native spoke new music, going viral for all the wrong reasons and the advice that Luke Bryan gave her.

American Idol alumni Grace has been travelling to Nashville to cut her teeth in the industry since she was 14, but her own musical baptism of fire came much earlier when she went viral at the age of 11 for an ill-fated rendition of the notoriously tricky American National Anthem. “It was not good. I bombed it and it had over a million views in less than 24 hours”, she told the room. “I woke up to my face plastered across videos that said ‘the worst national anthem ever’”.

Ever the optimist, just like her hero and influence Dolly Parton, Harper found a way to turn the experience of the bullying and hurtful comments that followed into art.

“I’m going back into different ball parks and arenas and stadiums in the States and I’m on what we’re calling a ‘redemption tour’". Grace explained to Longdon during their interview. "It’s awful. I get extremely nervous and super scared and I’ve cried a lot of times before doing it, but each time I want to do it because it scares me. Getting out of your comfort zone and facing your fears actually makes you so much more strong”.

An emotional rendition of her song ‘Oh Say Can You See’ followed, a letter to her younger self about standing strong through tough times. “Oh darling right now it’s hard to understand that / this moment right here is gonna write your anthem”, she sang with the encouragement of the crowd behind her.

It's an attitude she’s carried with her in her journey to Music City, a move that Luke Bryan encouraged her to pursue after she appeared on American Idol. “Luke Bryan pulled me aside before I left the competition and said ‘You need to move to Nashville, keep on going and write the songs’. When Luke Bryan tells you to do something, you gotta do it!”.

That doesn’t mean that her journey has been easy. “I think that in any industry you join, it’s always going to be competitive,” she explained. “But it’s just whether you have the drive or the determination to keep on going".

"People say no. You get told no many, many times before you get that one yes.”

With Grace releasing seven singles this year alone, including first cut 'Break It Like A Man' on April 12th, it would appear that Harper’s golden age of “yes” has finally arrived.

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