We recently connected with Flare (Harry Nicholls) and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Flare, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
In my early life I often found myself in positions that left little room for negativity. As these positions started to become more and more recurring, the difficult choices that I was forced to make at such an early age left me with nothing but hope as at the time it was all that my soul could afford. That’s where one of my greatest qualities was born. Ever since those days, I’ve been blessed with optimism that when trials and tribulations lead me against overwhelming odds, I have no doubt in my mind that regardless the outcome, I will turn out exactly as the universe intends.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a Hong Kong-born singer, songwriter, and producer, rapidly growing in the underground music scene of Los Angeles. By blending dreamy vocals with ear-catching productions, my nostalgic approach creates a one-of-a-kind atmosphere that fuses core R&B and Soul with elements from countless genres, including Pop, Funk, Hip-Hop, indie, and even classical music. I’ve crafted my own unique style, which I like to call ‘Dream Soul.’
With my newest single, ‘BUTTERFLIES,’ I begin to paint the canvas of a love story blossoming before your eyes. This upbeat and colorful track, written and produced by me and Los.Wav, paired with dreamy visuals, recreates the exhilarating sensation of falling head over heels for someone special. The hypnotic melodies and undeniably infectious groove of ‘BUTTERFLIES’ invite listeners to embark on a journey of dreamy honeymoon romance, where every note dances in harmony with the fluttering of your heart.
Recently, I self-funded a world tour at 19 years old with the support of ‘Something Dope for the People,’ the biggest open mic in the world. The tour started in May and lasted a month, with major cities in the lineup such as LA, Chicago, Vegas, Toronto, London, and Palermo, Italy. Earlier in the year, I had the incredible opportunity to perform at Rolling Loud 2024 in Los Angeles, which was a major highlight. Throughout the tour, I performed my original music in each of these cities, reaching out to venues and musicians as I couldn’t afford to bring a band on the road. Organizing this world tour without management tested my patience, perseverance, and more, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience that allowed me to connect with audiences around the globe.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1 – Faith. No matter where you lie in the journey of life, faith and hope is the most important quality that any dreamer or creative can possess. It’s the first and most important step to becoming the person that you’ve always aspired to be – believing that your destiny is set for you and that your train is always on time, even if it’s delayed 😉
2 – Humility. There is so much knowledge out there in the world. The sooner that you realize how much substance there is in the cosmos, the sooner you will be able to realize how you know nothing at all. Keeping the mindset of being open-minded allows you to acknowledge every person, action and event that flashes before your eyes. Never take it personally, but observe it, internalize it, and figure out what it is you want learn from it.
3 – Confidence. With all that I have talked about humility, it can only be useful if balanced with confidence. When starting your creative journey there will undoubtedly be times where it feels like there is noone in the world that believes in you as much as you do, and that is something that you have to not only get used to, but truly embrace. People love to judge and that’s their problem. Take time to experiment, try shit out, and grow. And bonus points if you are able to display your growth from the ground up to the world, although it may be tough in the moment, it will give more people the opportunity to be proud of you in the future.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Without a doubt the area that I struggle in the most is imposter syndrome. Although my journey is just at it’s earliest stage, the growth that I have been able to provide myself with is something that I should be more proud of. As a perfectionist, it’s very rare to come off stage or finish a song with the feeling like everything went perfectly and that’s something that you have to learn to accept. Now don’t get me wrong i’m definitely not here to give you a solution that’ll make these feelings go away because as artists, it’s an undeniable part of who we are. But I want everyone reading this to know that you are not alone. Regardless to what you might believe, every single creative, no matter what stage of their career that they are in, is most definitely going through the same feelings. Part of the journey is learning to live and create in harmony with the perfectionism that comes as a double-edged sword.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ihateflare.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ihateflare
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCArjsGh9BfCdhDOa4gJWWfw
Image Credits
Grass & Bike Photos – @walterwbrady
Butterflies edit around head – @lawrenceoftoronto
Leopard print – @visionseven
Everything else (red baseball jersey, Disco Ball, Green jacket) @jayceealcala
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
