British singer/songwriter, Jay Harper (born 7 April 1996), from Winchester is an emerging indie artist with his debut single 'Best Fake Smile' being released in November 2015.

 

The 19 year old was brought up in a family surrounded by music, his mother was a singer in the local choir and his father taught him how to play guitar from the age of 7. 'Music was always around, I couldn't escape it,' Harper says. Harper later began to take guitar lessons at a music shop close to where he lived where he was encouraged to sing and write songs. 'I still have some of my early scribbles of the songs that I had written when I was 12,' says Jay. 

 

At 16 Jay Harper began to play live gigs in small, local venues as well as busking on the streets of Winchester near The Brooks Shopping Center. 'I would go out on a Saturday morning with my guitar and sing, some originals and some covers,' explains Jay.

 

Harper was approached by a representative from Moonlight Records, who praised his raw talent and song writing skills,while performing in a pub at age 18. The label then signed Harper as they believed that they could nurture his image in a way which would preserve the qualities that the representative first took note of.

 

2016 will be a big year for Harper with the release of his debut album right around the corner, with the leading single 'Best Fake Smile.' Jay Harper will also be performing a number of small an intimate gigs up and down the UK. 'I hope that this year I can prove that anything is possible as long as the passion and the drive is there,' he states.