Pio Hartnett is a singer/songwriter who’s based in Ireland, and with his smooth, R&B-style vocals, he’s beginning to make a real name for himself. ‘Broadway’ is his brand new single, and follows hot on the heels of extremely well-received tunes ‘Roses’ and ‘Grand Prix’. Continuing on his merry, soulful, and mellow journey, ‘Broadway’ is a thoughtful and poignant track that keeps the instrumental side of things light. This allows for Hartnett’s warm and layered vocals to take front and centre, as he invites you into his world, if only for a little over three minutes.
Lyrically, the musician tells his real-life tale of an online pandemic romance and the realisation that all might not appear as it seems. “But am I a friend, a means to an end?” he asks. “Am I your go-to, or one in ten?” Inspired by artists like Matt Corby, Frank Ocean, and Jack Johnson, we at Indie Top 39 see a very bright future for this gifted artist!
‘Broadway’ is a thoughtful, warm, and beautifully pieced-together little tune. We love it!
INDIE TOP 39
What does the song mean to you?
This song represents to me, the value of treating people and things with care. Including yourself, of course. But I think, if I’m honest, it’s the fact that I know we did good work on this song. I know it’s a good song – that’s a good feeling. It’s a song I can feel happy to share with as many people as possible, because it feels like I’m really sharing something which has goodness in it, ‘value’ if you like.
What do you hope to achieve with this song?
It’s a simple, small experiment. One of many. My favourite thing about it is not hoping to ‘achieve’ anything particularly wild with it. It’s a good song. But I think it’s important to reclaim something of the freedom and joy of making music. We’re told so often now how saturated the music market is. That’s fine. But that’s all business. Business has its place. But it should be before and after the music – not during. The song… is for magic. It’s no entry if you’re wearing a suit.
I hope that with this song I can simply experiment, practice in public, and grow with people watching. That’s one of the positives that can come with being in a socially-connected and technological time. You can choose to hide or disguise yourself with it. Or you can choose to unveil. To fight for what’s real. Honesty sounds easy, but it’s something you have to practice. This song, is just me practising musical honesty. If people hate it, love it – at least I know I shared something that I meant, something that expresses something true of my heart and mind.
What would your life be like without music?
Fine. My life would work without music. It would be different sure – but I would find a way. And I believe that freedom helps me to make better music. Yes, I know this sounds mad. But think of it like this – this question just makes me think of this, whether it’s what you meant or not. So thank you for bearing with me. I don’t worship music. I don’t put it on a pedestal. Music is like a person – you can love them better when you let them be who they are, not who you want them to be. And music has its limits. I think it’s important – especially important for creative people, because we can get lost in the pursuit of the heights of the beauty of it all, trying to make wilder and wilder stuff – to remember it’s about having a good life.
I love that music can be a part of my life; I’m deeply deeply thankful for it. It just amazes me when I think about it sometimes. But I like to think I could also let it go if I needed to. Because I want that thing that I feel is pointing me to, more than I want the music itself. The music should be an arrow – to love the people around you, to get up in the morning, to pursue adventure, and love, and wildness. I guess that’s all I mean – apologies for taking the hardest route to answer your question.
Please finish the sentence – Music to me is…
A way of communicating. But I suppose it’s also something which only humans do. To this level, in this reflected way – in a symbolic way, I should say. So it gets to what’s special about us, what’s special about being human. I’m interested in what makes a song written by someone you’ve never met, resonate with you. Why is that? I think once you start to think about that question, you start getting to what’s compelling about music. Music to do with that, in my understanding. It’s an exercise in empathy.
Make sure to connect with Pio Hartnett on Instagram » Facebook » Twitter
Now you can listen to all the 39 songs in one place, right here on Spotify!
This coverage was created in collaboration with Musosoup as part of the #SustainableCurator movement.
