May 9 Vallejo/Vacaville Arts and Entertainment Source: Bay Area Musician Jared Harper heads to BottleRock

Not many music artists can say they’re playing the same stage they grew up watching.

Jared Harper can.

Little did Harper know the music festival he grew up attending in the Bay Area’s backyard would also be his breakout stage. The laidback energy unique to BottleRock appealed to Harper and sparked his interest in playing music.

The path to this point was far from straightforward. After nearly flunking his music class in high school, Harper embraced the work ethic of a hungry, emerging artist, playing three gigs a day in any art gallery, street corner or stage he could land.

“I’ve played anywhere and everywhere,” said Harper. In the beginning it’s all about putting out a pan, playing music and seeing if people liked what they heard, he said. Over the years, those occasional tips have turned into 1 million streams across platforms.

“I like that I had to go through all those small stages,” said Harper. “I think that really builds the character of a musician, of an artist. Playing in dirty, sticky-floored bars to get to what you would consider the good stuff like festivals.”

Some of the stages, like Harper’s appearance on Season 18 of The Voice, were considerably bigger than others. Performing on National Television to his biggest audience yet signaled a major shift for Harper’s career.

“They have such a great machine for artists, making sure you’re taken care of and comfortable on screen,” said Harper, who came away from that opportunity with lifelong friends.

While the experience was a significant pivot away from busking, Harper’s performance of “Can’t Get No Satisfaction” in the blind auditions was almost prophetic. Even though he was grateful for the experience, he knew he didn’t want to be in the competition side of music.

“Festivals are the reason I got into music and performing,” said Harper.

Despite having a clear goal in mind, Harper was repeatedly navigating hurdles that threatened his future in music. In the crucial moments right before taking the stage in London, Harper was hit by an anxiety attack. He remembered telling his manager, “I don’t think I can go out there,” before throwing himself on stage and jumping into the first song.

“It was the best medicine I could have had,” said Harper. “As soon as I started singing I snapped right into it and it was like I had had no problems to begin with,” he said. That moment proved vital in showing himself what he can handle.

However, the biggest obstacle is one Harper has lived with his entire life. The singer was born deaf in his right ear, which means he has to approach his career a little differently.

“When your job revolves listening and hearing and playing, that has naturally gotten in the way,” said Harper, who has to be conscious of where he’s standing on stage to protect his hearing ear. Aside from adjusting his position to face away from the drums, Harper’s performance gives no other indication that he’s half deaf.

Harper’s history of overcoming any number of hurdles makes him a uniquely humble, dedicated live performer. Unshakeable in even the most challenging of circumstances, Harper approaches his BottleRock debut excited to return to the festival as a performer.

Despite spending more time performing in the Napa Valley area, San Francisco will always be at the center of Harper’s songwriting.

The landscape of the Bay Area repeatedly finds its way into Harper’s songs, with certain imagery like the waves reflecting his hometown. We subconsciously take in a lot, even when we’re not actively thinking about what we’re seeing, said Harper.

“The way my mind writes is I’ll take in a lot for a certain amount of time, and then where a song pops up, is when I have so much in my mind even if I’m not thinking about it. When I hit the right chord progression or melody, everything lines up,” Harper said.

Harper will be the first to admit that the songwriting part isn’t his favorite, but it’s a necessary catharsis, like writing in a journal. “Down to it’s core, it’s writing down your feelings and thoughts with a little bit of imagination.”

BottleRock audiences will be the first to hear the results of Harper’s songwriting process. For the first time in his career, Harper will debut three unreleased singles on stage for audiences to hear ahead of their digital release. Describing the singles as a good portrayal of his range, Harper said there’s a little bit of rock, a little bit pop, and one that resembles Coldplay’s “Yellow,” to ensure something for everyone.