Casey Harper combines legal research, entertainment in sister-brother partnership – Daily Bruin

Casey Harper is the former Bruin behind an up and coming pop sensation.

Harper obtained her master’s in legal studies from the UCLA School of Law but quickly took her lessons to the creative world of the music industry. Now, Harper is the manager, social media chair and occasional stylist for her brother, pop singer Jared Harper. Together, this sister-brother duo are combining Jared Harper’s creative passions with Casey Harper’s legal knowledge to pursue a future in the entertainment business.

“I love doing the research part of it,” Casey Harper said. “My brain works in a very business mindset and (Jared’s) very creative, so it naturally flowed that way.”

While her brother has been pursuing music for eight years, Casey Harper said her involvement stems from a decision she made over the COVID-19 pandemic. Having always loved school and science-based research, she said she wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between her background in academic research and the entertainment industry. This led to Casey Harper attending law school at UCLA, which she said was the perfect bridge for strengthening her knowledge of intellectual property law. She said the skills she acquired from law school gave her better insight into copyright, intellectual property and Jared Harper’s rights.

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Casey Harper said the change toward entertainment was a stark contrast from her background as a biochemistry student as an undergraduate. However, she said her experience in biochemistry research turned out to be an advantage when it came to undertaking publicity for Jared Harper. From trying to book events to learning how to communicate within a different industry, Casey Harper said she often feels like a private investigator. Due to her ability to find success after such stark educational and career shifts, Casey Harper said no Bruin should feel held to the narrow view of their degree.

“You don’t have to be so pigeonholed and siloed into one area,” she said. “It is daunting at first to think, ‘How can I go from one side to another?’ … But it’s definitely possible, and I feel like there should be no limitations. If you’re interested, you can find a path to make it happen.”

On the creative side, Casey Harper said Jared Harper has to balance between catching trends and being authentic to his brand. She said from the business end, social media is a necessary evil the siblings have been learning to navigate in order to build their brand. While learning the tricks of the trade has proven difficult at times, what has made their partnership successful is the loving support that can only come from family, Jared Harper said.

“There’s a comfort level that comes with it, obviously,” Jared Harper said. “The security of it, it’s not like a complete stranger where you have to do a background check on it. (The) background check is already there.”

Jared Harper said the best part about having his sister as his manager is the ease of conversation between them. When they need to discuss logistics, there are no formalities that need to be completed, he said. Casey Harper said the brother-sister relationship has allowed them to form a more successful manager-artist relationship.

“It takes a village,” Ric Coy, a longtime friend of the Harper family, said. “I’m convinced that for them, it takes a good family.”

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Coy said the siblings’ natural ability to work together has taken them from being individuals to a strong family unit. In addition to appearing on numerous talk shows such as Soundwaves TV and reaching over a million streams across several streaming platforms, Jared Harper said he has fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival in 2024. With 2025 on the horizon, Casey Harper said that she and Jared Harper plan to continue releasing new singles, scheduling live performances and possibly releasing an EP.

“If I make certain decisions, it’s coming from a good place,” Casey Harper said. “We can have really honest conversations with each other. I’m sure if the ‘manager-artist’ relationship wasn’t siblings, it might take a lot longer to get to that place.”