Aitch: The Real Story of My Breakthrough, Closest Relationship & Ed Sheeran (E301)

0:28Watch it early on the High Performance app. own. I'll go make platinum records and perform in front of 80 ,000 people. But when I get home, I'm not the superstar. She is. So that was the distinctive voice of the rapper H who joins us on High Performance today. My name is Jay Comfrey. And look, we started this podcast because we wanted to talk to the most incredible, fascinating people on the planet and learn how they've done it so that we can hopefully find inspiration for our own lives. And I'm Damien Hughes. I've spent my life immersed in the world of high performance. I've been lucky enough to work with people to help them understand how to get the best out of themselves and others.

1:04And that includes professional sports teams like the England football team and the Scotland Rugby Union team as well as working with leading business people. So who is H? Well look Damo, I know you love him because he's from Manchester and he's a red, right? But he's also one of the most exciting musicians to have emerged from the UK in recent years. I think people know him for his cheeky style, his clever wordplay, his distinctive tone of voice, but I would argue people don't know him until now. Well, you're right, Jake. I do like him. I like the fact that he's from the same part of Manchester that I am and also the fact that he's a United fan, so that demonstrates that he's clearly got good taste.

1:40But more than that, I like the fact that he's somebody that's role-modelled that saying that if you have success, it's almost your duty to send the elevator back down. And he's done that really powerfully and shares some of the stories of how he's done it for his sister who was born with Down syndrome and how he's taken on challenges to raise money and awareness for this cause. And we'd love you to check out the fundraising link in the description of this podcast where you can make your contribution to making a real difference. Absolutely. Well said, Damien. Right, here he is, H, on High Performance.

2:20Thank you for being on it, Harrison. Thanks for having me. I'm excited, you know. It's a real privilege to have you here. Thank you. Part of that for me is a bit of a selfish thing that we grew up in the same part of Manchester in Moston. Exactly the same part, yeah. Yeah, and I loved your speech that you gave in the Brit Awards when you said that not many people from where I'm from, especially on my side of Manchester, get the opportunity to stand up here and receive such an amazing gift or reward and that's the main reason I do it, to set examples, to make people know that it's possible no matter where you're from and not because 5 million other people have done it before you that you can do it.

2:56So big up everyone. You're talking about the power of environment and setting an example and I want to explore that but I'm interested in what did Moston and North Manchester in general, where are you from? What did it give you that have allowed you to achieve such success? I don't know. I think in terms of music and when I first blew up and career-wise it was good a lot of people seeing not being from London as a bit of a disadvantage because it's not what people are used to which was kind of true but I always kind of seen it more as an advantage because it was like because it weren't the same old same old as long as I knew I was making good music I knew people would be saying oh have you seen that new new H guy from Manchester I've always said there was always that little extension on my name just because I was from Manchester if it was anyone else he'd be like oh have you seen have you seen chris yeah yeah sick sick sick it's like that h guy from manchester what manchester you know i'm saying like i don't know i felt like it was a bit of an advantage um and then in terms of really close to home like north manchester most and i don't know it's some unexplainable thing that's in the tap water over there that no one else can get it's the exclusive tap water over there i really don't know but um in in terms of me i i was just lucky enough to like find music as i started getting to that age as i was younger it was just always yeah whatever football going on the park whatever all that same old stuff and obviously all that all the crimes happening all around us we were just there we we didn't know no different do you know what i mean yeah and then um and then yeah one day i must have just started rapping and that was me when everyone was kind of wanted to do certain other things I was like nah I need to finish these lyrics not because I thought I had anything to do with making a living off it just because that's what I was enjoying doing I was actually like I'm not even joking like it started off just like everyone slagging each other off in a group chat but rhyming like I never actually rapped out loud at first do you know what I mean I was just messaging my mate saying things that I shouldn't repeat right now and it annoys me I've got a bit of a bad memory and it annoys me because I can never remember the day I actually put a beat on and started rapping to it.

5:16God knows when that day was, but it happened. Where do you think it happened? Must have been just in my room, alone. I was rapping, I was not rapping, I was writing the lyrics to my friend, sending him, just dissing him. But I'm just reading it thinking, this is actually sick. And then he's replying to me going, you're actually doing something here. And then, yeah, I don't know, I really, honestly, I wish I knew. How old were you? Probably about 15, I reckon. Right. About 14, 15, I reckon. Yeah. But I never put no videos out or anything like that. I just used to do it in front of my friends. And then one day, the story is, I've told this story a few times, I told my mate to film me because I just wanted to hear it back because everyone's telling me I'm so sick, but I've never actually heard myself rap.

6:06Right. You know what I mean? So I was trying to film me. cool I've done whatever I was doing done my little freestyle watched the video back I was like yeah this is sick send it to me but don't send it anyone else though I don't put it anywhere I don't want anyone to see this why didn't you want anyone to see it I don't know for some reason where I was from at the time there wasn't people rapping on every corner yeah yeah do you get what I mean there wasn't many people to kind of like look up to why did that worry you it's always that that fear of what people are going to say in it I suppose especially being in school well that was going to be my question that you're describing something that you've recognised this seed of talent through exchanging whatsapp messages with your mates where was that seed of talent in a school environment because that's obviously something that's really creative you're a bit of a performer did that show up in school I'll be real with you in terms of GCSEs and passing exams and stuff I literally passed English and performing arts and sport and now I'm here rapping and dancing about on stage, so it all made sense in the end, I suppose.

7:12But that's something about, that's where your talent lay. And I'm interested in what you've learnt about young people sometimes being defined in ways where we define you by your weaknesses or what you can't do rather than your strengths. What have you learnt about that? Yeah, it's a funny one. People always tend to highlight the negative before they see the positive in things, don't they? It's hard. I feel like you've got to kind of build up mindset where like you really can't be too bothered what other people say or think because it's always going to happen i think i've just come to the conclusion that i'm never going to satisfy everyone and that's fine do you get what i mean like there's nothing bad about people not liking what you do or or something like that everyone's different everyone's got their own opinion so that's cool so i think like the quicker you learn to kind of like block all the negative out and appreciate the positive things that are coming your way, then it'll all be fine because the negative things are always going to be there.

8:10And it's up to you to highlight them or push them away. I reckon.

8:33No bulky overhead. No rigid long-term contracts. Just the right expert right when you need them. Work smarter and faster with Upwork. Go to Upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com. Post a job for free and get started today. Ah, DSW, birthplace of the humble brag. Here, the shoes are so good, no one would ever know how little you paid. If you didn't go telling everyone that is. And with never-ending options for every style, mood, and occasion, all at really great prices. We'll definitely give you something to brag about. So go ahead, stock up on fresh sneakers from your favorite brands or try those boots you always secretly knew you could pull off.

9:14Find the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget at DSW stores or DSW.com.

9:23This episode is brought to you by Opera Air, the first browser with mindfulness at its core. Now, most of us spend hours every day online, But how often do we pause to take care of ourselves whilst we're doing it? And that's where Opera Air comes in. It's a lightweight, fast, secure browser built not just for productivity, but for your well-being. With Opera Air, mindfulness is built right in. You'll find free breathing exercises, guided meditations, and soundscapes with ambient sounds, lo-fi music, and binaural beats, all designed to help you focus, relax, and even spark creativity while you browse.

10:00how have you learned to do that though because this is interesting that you're sitting here now saying look i need to be me and not worry about negative opinions of me yet the same harrison growing up didn't want anyone seeing that video of him tall poppy syndrome it sort of made you stand out from the crowd so i'd love to explore a bit more about how you've got to this point well as i was saying before so he's filmed this video as we was out doing whatever he was doing my phone died so I've whatever I put my phone in my pocket cool um we was out for a couple more hours whatever and I said right I'm going home now got on my pedal bike rode home phone's still dead my phone's been dead for hours got home put my phone on charge cool my phone came on I'm getting a couple texts from people saying yo that that's sick and I'm thinking what what's what's everyone talking about so I've come on the on YouTube and there it is there's my video right there that's just been filmed and i've just told my friend don't put that anywhere don't show that to anyone so i'm fuming now i'm like i'm not having this you've you've embarrassed me went to sleep woke up the next day everyone's loving it it's got about a thousand views which at the time around there was met what one thousand views like i'll go mad i wanted to tip the house upside down in a good way so yeah so that was that so then I've ended up kind of like changing from being angry at my friend to like wow thank you you know what I mean he was like people need to hear it you're too sick you can't just be doing it to us what's the point in that and that was that so to answer your question I got thrown in the deep end and realised oh it's not the water's not that bad actually I just kept going from there I was like walking through the school corridor girls was coming up to me they had their earphones in it was like look at this look at this give me the earphone I put it in it was my freestyle I was going yeah the same one on YouTube yeah yeah yeah at this point there was only one thing on YouTube of me and it was this video I was like okay let's do it next time wrote a new freestyle get the phone out let's go let's upload it and it just went like that so tell us about the creative process I know because to me it sounds incredible that you're taking real life experiences and being able to put them through the filter of your mind to create something so brilliant at the end of it.

12:26Tell us how you go about doing that. It changes all the time, I can't lie. Back then, it was just, let's just get a beat and say whatever. If you were to listen to that very first freestyle, I'm just saying a whole load of nothing. But it rhymed and it sounded good at the time. But now, I don't know. I don't know I've got to a certain point in my career. I've done a lot of things, I suppose I've achieved a lot of things and I'm at that point where it's like, do you carry on doing what you're doing and I suppose take the risk of people, not getting bored, but maybe it's like, oh yeah, same old, same old.

13:01Or do you try and expand, do you try and go down a different road a little bit, not change the sound too much, but you know what I mean, try and create a bit of an elevated sound and then run the risk of people going. that's not you I don't like this new age or whatever it sounds like you're saying other people but it actually sounds like you're thinking this for yourself like you're wondering am I ready for a new sound and then the doubt is probably your own doubt do you know no do you know what it is I'll be totally honest I have got certain types of music that I do love making personally and when I'm listening to my unreleased songs there is a certain type of song I would go to but at the end of the day I do have to realize that as much as I'm doing this for myself I do have to realize that it's my job I've got a fan base to cater to and perception is a big thing on how people look at your it's funny I also like saying this it's funny how I've I'm in an industry or I've got a job where my career depends on everyone else's opinion which is funny because i don't give a fuck about anyone's opinion so i kind of have to get in that mode of catering for other people if that makes sense do you get what i mean yeah which is a funny one because because harrison couldn't care less what anyone says about him what about h h is like well the bills have got I get paid so let's take in what these people are saying do you know what I mean but tell us about how if there's any young people listening to this and a fair few old people as well how do you get to a place where you don't care where you you are willing to just be authentically yourself without worrying about somebody laughing at you or making fun of you I think I think like age is one like growing I think naturally just growing up when I first came in into the industry, into the game, I was 18.

15:01I'm 24 now. So I think just naturally growing up was a big thing and just realising what I care about and what I don't care about. I don't know. At the end of the day, you can't even make people be careless about what people say. People are different. People have different emotions. I'm not sitting there saying I'm Superman and nothing affects me and all that stuff. But obviously you find happiness in caring less about things that bring negative energy to you. Do you know what I mean? It makes sense. So I think my advice would just be like, you need to focus on you and your achievements. And it's funny because now we're in a day and age where everyone who's doing so well and achieving so many things, it's all over Instagram and whatever.

15:46And I just want to swear so badly, really annoying people on Instagram, trying to make people feel like if you haven't got a Lamborghini by the time you're 21, and you're failing in life and it's just bullshit, isn't it, really? What's that about? Fuck knows. Sorry for my language again. Oh, perfect. That's how it makes me feel. You know what I mean? I'm fortunate enough to find something where I've ended up doing well for myself and all that. But I'm, back to the Brits speech thing, I'm an anomaly. Do you know what I mean? It's not normal for people to make a certain amount of money at a certain age.

16:22But because everyone's on Instagram and social media, doing all this stuff. So are you quite careful then about putting out the message, I've done it, you can do it, anyone can do this? Because it's not necessarily true. Yeah, like, it is literally a case of if I can do it, anyone can do it. Do you know what I mean? I was never like, I never grew up super motivated and stuff like this. All this stuff has kind of like turned me into that person. Do you know what I mean? Obviously as I go, but I'm talking from when I was like, let's go 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 even 13, 14 maybe even 15 I wasn't like the most motivated person in the world like yeah I'm doing this and I'm getting this done I was more just like floating through life you get what I'm saying?

17:08It reminds you there's an old boxing coach called Custamato he was Mike Tyson's trainer and he had this great line that he said there's no stupid kids there's just uninterested ones and until you find what your interest is that spark of fire can't come in. So what I think I would like to explore though is this idea of you don't have to follow the route that you have into music but I think helping kids understand what their interest is that it lights that fire that means that they can change their life if they want to. That's what we want to explore because I think that I think your lesson you are a pioneer in Anomaly but I think you've got a lot to teach.

17:48Yeah I think 100 % I feel like there's always been that argument of whether people think the school system is the right way to go about things, you know what I mean? It literally all depends. It's hard. Not a lot of people know what they actually want to do when they're that age. I think that's a bit of a sticky one as well. Yeah, I feel like there should be more opportunities for people to explore what they want to do. At the end of the day, it's trial and error. You've got to try certain things to know whether you like it or not. The solution to that, I don't know. I couldn't tell you what I think literally should be done, but I just think it's very like, I don't even want to say narrow-minded.

18:30I don't want to go on like the school system is the worst thing in the world because if someone wants to go and be a scientist or whatever the weather, then you're going to need certain things. So it's a tough one, but I do think opportunities are needed and people, like you said, people need to find their interest in things and it's hard when it doesn't get put right in front of you. How is anyone going to know about these hundreds of millions of things that you can do if no one doesn't show you? That's why we have to create this mindset of exploration among young people and I think you're the perfect person to explain how it actually feels right when you start to explore because you said that I'm not here because I was motivated as a 12, 13, 14, 15 year old.

19:15You're here because you did something. and then you got this amazing reaction. You got people coming up to you, letting you listen to their music and you got that thousand views and it made you feel good. It's known in psychology as the golden seed moment. That was the moment a golden seed was planted, right? In your life. Which is now taking you all the way through. So I'd love you to explain actually how it felt but also how it informed your behavior because I think that we can't sit here and not have a conversation about the fact that you don't get to where you are without hard work. You don't get to where you are without studying other people.

19:47You don't get to where you are without a real love of the craft. And I wouldn't want this conversation to end with people going, well, he's a good rapper, he got lucky. Right, yeah, yeah. Because it's not true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So can we talk about this element that doesn't get talked about often enough? Yeah, 100%. So, all right, cool, we'll go all the way back. So I've always loved rap music forever. My mum and dad was at work a lot. So my older cousin used to babysit me and she would blast the house with rap music all day every day cool so that's where i found my love for it fine sweet whatever then years go by i've always loved rap music in school cool but never even thought to even try to rap and then we fast forward a little bit more the story i told you before about just sending the the group chat messages having a laugh cool and then i just had like uh and i was always that guy i always had posters on my wall different rappers you have i know that i had i had a big a big long poster like this and i'd nearing up like everyone on it you know i mean i had a couple 50 cent ones i had loads i had a snoop dog one it was going off right but anyway so yeah that was cool and then i've started doing what i'm doing i've found the courage just to show a couple of my mates they was going yo it's sick yeah i mean that was just That was the make or break part at first.

21:08If my mates start laughing when I do this, I'm not doing it. Were you nervous? Yeah, I don't know, a little bit. Obviously, we used to be just chilling anyway, laughing around, rapping anyway, so I wasn't necessarily nervous in rapping in front of my friends. It was more like, is this actually good type nervous? Like, tell me the truth before anyone else hears it and I look stupid, basically. So that was that. And then from there, and from that video being released, which I didn't want to be released in the first place, I think it was all about checkpoints. So like I said, I got 1 ,000 views. And I'm like, rah.

21:47I'm saying, I'm looking up to certain people from maybe like Birmingham, who I'm listening to on these channels. There was like a couple of YouTube channels like JDZ Media, P110 Media, which was a platform for rappers to go on. And these are getting 20 ,000 views. I'm sat there thinking, I'm only 19 ,000 away. do you know what i mean yeah like let's what the hell let's do a next one hopefully the next one gets five thousand ten thousand whatever so that was the first little bit of hunger which was like right we're chasing these numbers now and like let's see let's see what we can do and then in terms of like you said before taking inspiration yeah it was just always listening to at the time grind music a lot of grind if it wasn't grind music it was a lot of american hip-hop music 50 Descent and whatnot, but in terms of what I was listening to to get inspiration to rap, it was grime music.

22:37What were you listening for? Okay, so if I want to get super into it, yeah, at the time, grime was always about getting a reload. A reload is something where, so if he was all in the room now and the DJ was playing beats, there'd be one mic in there and we'd all share the mic. you'd spit your bars you'd rap your lyrics i'd rap mine but it's kind of like your job as an emcee at the set to go so crazy on the mic that the dj has to reload the beat like you need to do it again basically right it's a feeling that can't be explained unless you've been in there like honestly there might not be a better feeling when you're in a grime set and everyone's rapping and everyone's kind of like trying to hold it down like yeah yeah it's cool and then you get your turn and you say whatever you say and everyone's going and the dj goes it makes that that noise there where the where the decks rewinds and it's like so what i was looking for was was kind of like that like what am i gonna what am i gonna write what's gonna make people go ah you know you know you've seen it before you know it gets when people get excited over lyrics or whatever hour of music, they're up.

23:57Oh no, no, he didn't say it. No way he said that. That's what I was looking for, basically. There's a great phrase that I've read Jay-Z's story over the summer. There's a great phrase he uses in it where he said, the public praise people for what they practice in private. So what he was saying was, I became successful because I spent every day of my summer holidays as a kid, sat in my room just writing, writing, writing. But we praise him for that rewind set that you just said that moment so the crowd go mad but it's what you've done in private what you've done beforehand yeah so how did you go about writing and and being able to create this sound that drives people mad i can't lie it was it was kind of just it was a little bit natural i didn't really like have many problems with it like i said as well beforehand there wasn't as much substance to the lyrics and the music then as there is now so i would tell a story you know every now and again but the story would be more i don't know we're at the party and this is what we're doing it would never be like something where you need to lock in and take it in but yeah i was just chasing that like when you see that first reaction that you give people you want to give it to everyone else it's like an addiction like that was sick like people love that other people need to see it.

25:18That's what it was and I kept going, kept going, kept going. Then, like I said, whenever we got to the 10 ,000 views, that was like, oh my God. And then, I was going to these sets, you know what I mean, everywhere. I was going to like, South Manchester. I was like the only one from North Manchester in there. No one knew who I was. I was going in there, grabbing the mic, getting my reloads, leaving the building, walking home from Ardwick to Moston. Fair way. Yeah, fair way, yeah. Like, that's what I was doing. I was just on, on the thing and then even still then money didn't really pop into my head like I wasn't there thinking let's get this money I was more there just thinking let's let people know how sick I am at this that's when I started thinking no I'm actually a good rapper now this isn't just we're having a laugh here like people are loving it but you're also going into environments where I imagine you've been underestimated yeah yeah and there's research on this like there's a famous study that's done at Princeton University where students were given a test and before they answered the questions, half the group were told that the test was in a threat state of do you deserve to be here?

26:26And that's what we're going to study. The other group were told, we just want to see how clever you are, that you're already here at uni. And what they found is that those that were put in the threat state answered 72 % of the questions right. Those that were already made to feel that you deserve to be here, we're just testing you, they performed a lot better. at 90 % so I'm interested in there's lots of things that are putting you in that threat state you're the outsider what was your mentality like to be able to overcome that and still go there and perform at your best you know what I never really felt like that at that point remember I'm young everyone who I'm around is saying I'm sick at the time I'm like I'm sick no one's stopping me coming in this door now doing what I'm doing and leaving I never really like seen no threat kind of thing there was nothing to lose basically that's what I'm trying to say I had nothing to lose I had nothing to lose at all I wasn't yeah I didn't have anything anyway what's the what's the worst that can happen in it like whatever it is what it is yeah and then it was only till things started picking up properly in terms of the realization of oh right I can make a living off this it was like I was sparring for a couple years and then when I realised it was that time it was like oh right I'm actually eating the ring now it's gold time but what did that do to your mindset because beforehand you're playing to win because you've got nothing to lose and now you've got a reputation people know that who you are and now you're playing to lose so how did you differ with that it's funny it's funny because I remember having a certain I suppose a good little fan base in Manchester and I remember I dropped a video called Straight Rhymes which was like that's the video where I blew up that's where everyone outside of the north of England I suppose seeing what I was and it was funny seeing I realized how big the world was do you get what I mean because I'm I'm looking on Instagram and the phone's just going I swear on my life I got a notification on my phone like a thermometer came up on my phone it said phone is overheating please turn off I swear on my life turned it off put it down I'm sat in my mate's house I'm thinking what is going on here so that was a little bit of an anxiety thing was it anxiety not excitement yeah no it was definitely excitement but I just remember like I swear I'm not even joking this is what I remember I remember it said GRM Daily posted the video on Instagram and then I went on like the comments and then I remember just seeing how do I explain it basically my comments beforehand there was all when I'm looking at the names they were all getting very familiar because it was all just very Manchester right you know what I mean so I felt like these are all my people I'm seeing new names new faces next minute I'm keep scrolling I can just see storms there saying this is sick I'm like whoa whoa whoa boom phone overheats it's gone put the phone down I'm like this with my hands in my head going what's going on is this happening right now there's like four of us in the house were all running around the house, get the charger, get the charger.

29:35It's all just whatever. So yeah, so that's how it went down basically. And then from that day, that was like, okay, this is happening. Started getting phone calls off record labels and that, which is a whole nother story, which is actually a very, very funny story because one of my first record label meetings, basically I didn't have a clue what was going on. I'm just there, sat and listening to this guy talk to me. and he said, I'm going to give you a piece of paper and a pen. I was with my manager at AdEx. He said, I'm going to give you a piece of paper and a pen, both of you. He said, you write how much money you want me to give you.

30:16Yeah. Sorry, just to give you some context. He said that because he's gone, so what do you want from the music game? I said, I'm not going to lie, brother, I'm skinned. I need some money. Straight up, that's what I said to him. I didn't care about anything else at the time. Yeah, yeah. because it got to that point because sorry to rewind it a little bit because like I said before at first I was chasing let's get 10 ,000 views let's get 20 ,000 views let's do this remember at the same time I'm getting older this is now from 15 to 17 turning 18 it's getting real now I've left school now I'm not a little boy I've got to get a job or go down a certain road that everyone else is going down Well, you were working on the sites, weren't you?

30:59I did. I've done that for a little bit, yeah. So this is when it was getting real. So then when I'm getting pulled into these label meetings, I'm like, I need some money because I don't have a clue what I'm doing with my life right now. All I know is I want to do this and I want to make money from it. Yeah. So anyway, back to the meeting. He gave us a piece of paper. I didn't have no clue about nothing. Whatever he said, how much money do you want? I've just put 10 grand like that, which, just to give everyone peace of mind, I was getting millions of views right now I should have said 110 grand do you know what I mean?

31:33but I didn't know nothing about the game or where money came from or anything just give me 10 grand I'll be alright for now so I put it there turned it down left it on the side my manager put something else on the side do you not see what you've wrote on this stage? no at this point he turned my managers over my manager said like 50 grand so I went I was like don't turn my bit of paper over I was like what? Mr. Zidawo. Yeah, I felt like just kicking my piece of paper off the table. So I was like, what? And then he turned mine over and he said 10 grand and he just started laughing at me. And I was like, what?

32:07He basically said, you don't have a clue what you've just done. You know what I mean? I'm like, what do you mean? He said, you are worth so much more than 10 grand right now. And I was just like, what? It was also mind-baffling. Even now when I look back, I couldn't really tell you my exact... Yeah, yeah. Thought process. I'm 18 years old. It's my first time in London. It's just like, everything's just like, what is going on right now? I'm meeting these people. People are asking me questions. I'm talking to them. Yeah, yeah. They keep saying, what? Because I'm from over there. I've found my little, a little bit more of a well-spoken voice now at this point.

32:47Go on, give us your well-spoken, man. No, this is it. Oh, right. This is it. This is what I'm saying. But before, it was all... all like this so whatever but yeah sorry go on so this is now I'm only laughing because Jake does an impression of me how's that does that sound like Manchester it's not bad that it's not good that is it don't encourage him don't encourage him get some abuse for that tell him it shit I'll tell him that I want to talk to you then about suddenly you've got to learn something new now yes because music was natural music was instinct music was passion music was love meetings with agents, record deals, conversations about IP rights and sales.

33:30Suddenly, there's this whole other world. And I guess you've got two choices. You either find the right people to help you. I'd love to know how you do that and how you choose the people around you. Or you need to educate yourself fast. But I'm pretty sure at this point there would have been some fear of the unknown. So much fear of the unknown. But at the same time, kind of desperateness as well. not desperateness literally but in my head desperateness like in terms of I don't care what happens right now I need some money otherwise I've got to get a job at this point I've already done a couple basically I've done a couple months working on a building site with my grandad but when I got this record label phone call I took my hard hat off put it down and ran to London I had to make some money right now otherwise I've got to change some plans So, yeah, it was scary though.

34:25But yeah, so to explain what happened in a nutshell, my manager, Adex, who basically, at the time when I was making a buzz around Manchester, he approached me and said, let me be your manager. At the time, I didn't know this, but looking back at it now, he didn't really actually know too much about the music game himself. He was just interested in it. And he kind of like came on a vibe of, you make the music, I'll learn how to be a good manager. And was he honest with you about that? Yeah, yeah, well, don't know. Like, it wasn't a full conversation like that. I presumed he kind of knew what he was going on about anyway because he was older than me and I was just naive.

35:03But I did trust him, though. Like, it was like, remember, like I said, where we're from and that, I never even met a man so serious about something. Do you get what I mean? Like, it was just a good sight to see. It was like, yo, I'll be your manager. Let's do it. We'll do some good stuff. and I'm learning as I go along kind of thing. He obviously knew bits and bobs, otherwise he wouldn't approach me that quick. But yeah, so it went from there. So yeah, sorry. And then we fast forward again. So in terms of making money now, I kind of just had my trust in ADEX. Obviously, I got advised to get myself a lawyer and stuff, obviously, to take care of certain things, which was also a tough one because you start thinking, well, I'm about to get paid this much and my lawyer's about to charge me this much.

35:48and then, oh yeah, oh yeah, I forgot tax exists and then my manager's going to want his percentage. I says, might as well have not came here. You know what I mean? That's when you start thinking, it's like, no, we're going to do this properly because this isn't the only paycheck I'm going to get. We're going. You know what I mean? Was that your idea to say, look, we've got to do this properly now? Well, I'm kind of a mixture really. My manager and my dad, back to my point of, I'm very lucky that I had both my parents what did your mum and dad do if you don't mind me asking my dad was my dad was a pipe fitter right and my mum worked I believe for like some sort of insurance company but when my sisters were born one of my sisters had got a disability so for like the past 14 years my mum's been caring for my sister the reason I ask is like the world of lawyers and yeah yeah my dad didn't really my dad's kind do you know what I can't lie my dad's a legend And my dad's been learning as we go along as well.

36:47And he's actually doing very well. You know what I mean? So, yeah, big up dad. To be fair, I'm not even going to take all the credit for it. Most of that came from my dad in terms of, no, we're going to do this properly. Because basically, he's saying to me, I'm not having you look back in three years and go, what's happened to everything? You know what I mean? So, yeah, so that's how it went down. We've done everything properly. and that's it, I signed a record deal I signed a deal for Not for 10 grand I hope Not for 10 grand, quite a lot more than 10 grand actually but I remember, just to give people a funny story I was at my house one day and I literally had zero pound in my bank account like literally 0.0 it actually looked quite satisfying and I woke up the next morning and I got£30 ,000 sent to my account.

37:44That was the first bit of money I ever had and it said£30 ,000 on the dot and I was running around the house, going crazy. And I'm saying this story, I'm giving you advice not to do this. I reckon most of that money went on Hugo Boss, Armani tracksuits and probably Italian restaurants. Do you actually think though, like the lottery sometimes do this I know a lad that used to hand out the cheques for the lottery and one of the things he told me they would sometimes do is say somebody won a million pound take 50 grand out of it go mad and then when you've got it out of your system come back and we can talk about the rest of it do you think that helped you?

38:27yeah definitely do you know what I didn't feel like I was going mad because it was over a certain period of time more so looking back at it it was like oh yeah that went quite quick and that kind of taught me how to manage my money and taught me the value of money really. Do you get what I mean? I thought that was it. I thought I'm done for life. Let me kick my feet up. I've got 30 grand in my bank account. And that is definitely not the case. Does that make sense? Let's talk then about this period where there suddenly ain't some expectation. As soon as someone puts 30 grand in your bank, they want something in return for that.

39:02So for the first time now, you actually have to deliver someone else other than for Harrison. How was that pressure? do you know what it was good because it made me feel like I had a purpose now I feel like I'm like yeah this is this is how it works you you give me this I give you this and we keep and we keep going it felt it felt good it felt like I was I was moving I was leveling up you know I mean for all them years before I was kind of like sat about doing nothing wondering what to do found this talent it started picking up and now we're here and now I felt like more like even know i wasn't necessarily i felt like an adult no i felt like it was like yeah okay i'm 18 now i can drive i'm gonna try and make a living off this music i'm making cool so it was it was good pressure i can't lie i think it actually brought the best out of me i'm not gonna lie it gave me a challenge i do like a challenge i'm not gonna lie and uh so i was happy so i was like yeah let's go again let's go again i'm keep smashing these targets and it all leads back to that original video 1 000 views yeah let's get 10 000 reviews let's get this let's get this and the next minute i'm top 20 in the charts oh my days it's going mad let's push it push it push it tell everyone to buy it on itunes i'm running around manchester saying yo everyone buying my single it's going crazy next week it's number five in the charts oh my god it's mad we're going we're just it's just all happening and as the days go on there's more targets popping out in my face and I'm going yeah I'll have that I'll have that I'll have that I'll have that don't quote me on this you might have to Google this I don't know if it ended up being number two or number three it definitely didn't go number one because I was super pissed off that it didn't go number one was that a target?

40:44it was yeah but it wasn't I wasn't disheartened by it my first big single I'm happy it didn't go number one because I wouldn't have had nothing to work towards because that was what I was going to ask you like what happened when you get your target and you go, alright, I've done that now. There's always something else that's coming. Yeah, you've got to branch out as well. Do you know what I mean? You've got to kind of... Because I've still never had a number one. I've been on number one songs and I've got number one plaques at my house, but never an H release has been number one. Does that bother you?

41:15Not at all, to be honest with you. It'd be nice, but I'm pretty happy with life right now. So it wouldn't really... So how do you measure success? I think it depends I think everyone's got different brackets of it really and truly as long as I can go back to Manchester and my mum and my dad and my sisters and people who I love say to me you're really proud of you then I'm not really bothered about anything else I'll be honest with you I am obviously I love everything that I do but like I said before I'm in an industry where it's all about everyone else's opinion half these people's opinion that say negative things, or positive, but mostly negative things I will never, ever come across in my lifetime.

42:03Why would I let that affect me, really? As long as I can go home and the people I love tell me they love me, or one day, not to get deep about it, but when I'm in my grave one day and everyone stood around my grave, I hope everyone's crying their eyes out thinking, wow, we lost a good man that day. Do you know what I mean? So, I think that, I feel like that's success, really, isn't it? Like, it don't really matter. Money's not really like, Money is such a funny subject. If we really got into the money subject now, I feel like we'd be here for four hours. What's the headline on it from your perspective?

42:34It's just like, yes, I suppose you would say a successful person might be someone who has a lot of money in the bank. But I really don't know. There's not many experiences I've had in life that was amazing and it only happened because I had money. Did you get what I'm trying to say? Yeah, yeah. Did that make sense? You know what I'm trying to say? Absolutely. Don't get me wrong, you might go on holiday. Everything costs money. Yeah. The things that you can buy will never be as incredible as the things that you can achieve yourself. 100%. I'm like, I don't know, man. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to make money and, you know, I would advise, well, not advise, but, you know, I'm not mad at anyone who's got the mindset of I'm going to go out and make this money.

43:23that's fine. But like, don't let it overtake your mental state, if you know what I mean, or like, don't let it get in the way of like relationships and that, you know, like they say you should never mix pleasure with business and all that, which is like super, super true. Yeah. Like, I've had some amazing times in my life and some of the best times ever. And it didn't cost as much as buying a Ferrari on Berkeley Square. Have you done that? I've not bought a Ferrari, no. I've not. If you're still overpaying for wireless, it's time to say yes to saying no. At Mint Mobile, their favourite word is no.

44:03No contracts, no monthly bills, no overages, no hidden fees, no BS. I made the switch because I was tired of those ridiculous bills and sneaky charges from my old provider. With Mint, I'm paying$15 a month and getting the same high-speed data, unlimited talk and text, and coverage on the nation's largest 5G network. Honestly, the quality is just as good, if not better than what I had before. And the best part? You don't need a new phone. You can keep your current one, bring your number, and all your contacts. I use Mint Mobile, and you should too. Ready to say yes to saying no? Make the switch at mintmobile.com slash HPP.

44:39That's mintmobile.com slash HPP. Upfront payment of$45 required, equivalent to$15 a month. Limited time new customer offer for first three months only. Speeds may slow up a 35 gig on unlimited plan. Taxes and Fees Extra. See Mint Mobile for details.

45:20two orders with code APRON20. Terms and conditions apply. Visit blueapron.com slash terms for more. The market's uncertain. Revenue's tied and hiring on hold. That's why results-driven companies are using Upwork to keep work moving. Go to upwork.com today and start hiring proven freelance talent fast. No bulky overhead. No rigid long-term contracts. Just the right expert right when you need them. Work smarter and faster with Upwork. Go to upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com. Post a job for free and get started today.

46:00What you're describing here, Harrison, reminds me of some really interesting research on this, and I think you're almost validating it through your own experiences. There's a psychologist at Walton University who looks at what keeps people going, what keeps driving them, and she It says there's almost like three mindsets you can have about what you do. You can view it as a job. So it's like I come in, I write, I go and perform. You can do it as a career where you go, I now want to hit the numbers and I want to make a few quid doing it and do that. But then the third one is you can do it as a call-in.

46:34You go, this is just what I'm meant to do and I can make a difference to others. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think that brings us on to your sister Gracie because you're unusual in the idea that you're a bloke, that's giving back as well. You're not talking about throwing yourself with the bling and the cars and all of that. You're also promoting food banks. You're a spokesperson for the Down Syndrome charities and things like that. Would you talk to us a little bit about that side of you? Yeah, of course. But first of all, I suppose, first of all, it's just like, it's always nice to just help and give back in it, no matter what it is.

47:09I know that, obviously, the Down Syndrome Association and stuff like that, that's obviously close to my heart because of Gracie. but like I would help anyone out in any way if I if I could you know what I mean every time but yeah man that's just like at the end of the day simple as my mum and dad had these two beautiful twins girls and one of them ended up with Down syndrome I didn't even know what Down syndrome was and how old was you when they were born 10 maybe 11 10 yeah yeah they were 10 years younger than me yeah so yeah so that was that and then I just kind of like learned as I went along I was like I didn't really know what Down Syndrome was and it's funny because like after I did find that out I felt like every time I was out in public I'd seen someone with Down Syndrome like everyone started popping out from nowhere but yeah man it's just about it's about giving people with disabilities the same opportunities everyone else and people like trying to trying to stop people from presuming that someone with a disability can't do something or presuming that if they do do something they will do it poorly or whatever uh which which really isn't the case like i could bring my sister in here now i could i could go out the room and you'd probably have just as much of an interesting conversation with her as you would with me or probably anyone you ever get on this yeah on here and it's funny and like she just she remembers everything you know she'd sit here she'd ask you what your mum and dad's called, what your mum and dad's called, where do you live?

48:45You know what I mean? Yeah, Cheryl and Mike and she'd come, I promised her she could not see you for two years, she'd come back and she'd go, oh how's Cheryl and Mike? And it's just like, wow, like, what? Do you know what I mean? So, yeah man, I've learned from that, like, I was probably ignorant to people with disabilities and what challenges they have and what they can and can't do before I met Gracie and it just opened my eyes to like a whole nother you wrote a song called My G right and you said you said people laugh but we're too strong for it to ever hurt they might try and bring you down but it will never work what are the biggest things that you've learned from her just like to this might sound stupid how to like how to breathe how to like just realize everything's fine do you get what i mean like this girl i wish i could get into her head and just see what she's thinking about for the day because it's it's so interesting and she just like i don't know she just it's just a warm feeling she makes everyone feel warm she really is the star of the show it's funny like i'll go make platinum records and perform in front of 80 ,000 people but when I get home I'm not the superstar she is and like yeah man I don't know she literally is an inspiration I'm not even sitting there like trying to get soppy or anything like that but like on a genuine one she's just like some inspiring little person who like she loves coming to watch you performance yeah yeah she loves it she thinks she's famous she came on stage with me once when I performed the song and then when she sometimes when she's getting about in public when she goes shopping with my mum people will ask her for pictures and then I'll walk in the house, I'll see her.

50:31I know that she wants to tell me something because I'll come and she'll be sat there like that. Like trying to get my attention. I'll say, what have you been doing today? She'll be like, I'm just taking pictures. You know what I'm saying? Just flexing on everyone. So yeah, that's how I get my swag from her. I get my attitude from her. She sounds great. So what would you want? I mean, this is a big thing that so many people with disabilities tell us that they often are not seen. So what would you want those of us that don't have disabled people that we're so close to like that, what would you want us to know that we should be recognising or doing differently?

51:06That everyone actually has a personality. Everyone's born the way they're born. They think the way they think and all that. You can't help it. So, like, who are you to, like, judge someone for the way they are? You don't pick and choose your hair colour and the colour of your eyes and the way your body looks or anything like that. You get what you're given and you roll with it. You know what I mean? So, like, it'd just be nice for people to just make people with disabilities feel a little bit more included. And it doesn't always need to be, like, some separation thing, like, daft example, but, like, yeah, we'll do a sports day.

51:41But we've got a track for all the kids with disabilities and a track for everyone not, like, fuck that, just put everyone on the track, it is what it is. You know what I mean? Like, everyone feel, do you know what I mean? Like, equal, that's the point, basically. very nice you're lucky to have each other you and Gracie I want to talk about some of the people that you've worked with Storms in Ed Sheeran obviously stand out because they're so well known I remember when we actually had a conversation with AJ Tracy on this podcast he was so full of praise for you yeah that's my guy and the work that you've done I'd love to know what the secret is to working with others and I guess what have you learned from the likes of AJ and Ed and Michael You know what?

52:25You just click with people. People say you should surround yourself with like-minded people. To start with, we're all in the same industry. We all love music and I'd like to think we all make pretty good music. So that's a good start anyway. But yeah, man, I suppose them three as individuals, Ed, I could sit there, I don't even need to talk to Ed, I could just sit there and listen to Ed and I'd just take it all in and keep it all up there, you know what I mean? Ed's just like he's just a legend he doesn't even know how much of a legend he is I don't think tell us one thing that you've learnt of him just by listening you know what I've learnt from him he's so you know you can't miss Ed Sheeran's all over the place innit like people are chatting about Ed Sheeran left right and centre he doesn't even know what's going on this man this man doesn't have a phone he has an iPad and an email address and if you want to get a hold of Ed you have a FaceTime email address or you email him he does not have a phone why?

53:21you don't want to be involved in all these obviously I think recently he posted on Instagram so I don't know he might have changed the changed the rotation but yeah and he kind of taught me like you don't have to personally be in everyone's face for people to to talk about you or for people to listen to the music do you make some good music put it out in a good way sit back and take it all in you know what I mean I feel like he's good for that he's very detached he's very detached from it but still very in the center of it as well yeah yeah yeah it's funny um but yeah he actually done something really nice when we shot the not the my g video we shot the take me back to london video and they had these really nice louis vuitton boots on these black and orange boots i've never seen them before i was like they're so sick them boots he was like yeah man thanks appreciate it anyway a little bit after he came and gave me his ipad and he said just put your address on there i'll send you some stuff like he just played it cool i was like yeah yeah cool and then a couple days after there was a brand new louis vuitton box at the door and it was then boots uh off head so he's just a legend i've still never wore him they're up there in my house right now just there just brilliant yeah just chilling so he's a good guy but yeah aj he's probably like one of the people he's probably one of the ones i've connected the most with through the industry we just had a big tune together we've always stayed friends we like going to the studio together when I'm in London he's kind of the person I call you know what I mean so that was just so natural we just get on do you know what I mean and we make sick music together so yeah and and he's actually been in the game for a long time I was watching AJ before I even thought about rapping yep I don't think he sees that side of me where I'm still like kind of like looking up yeah I'm a fan I'm still a fan.

55:11I'm like, I could do with some advice every now and again or whatever, do you know what I mean? But like, so yeah, it's a funny one, but that's my guy. Who else did we say? Big Mike. Yeah, Mike. I was actually at Glastonbury the other weekend. Well, not the other weekend, a couple of months ago. Best weekend of my life and Storms was there every day. It was just like Team H and Team Storms link up every day at Glastonbury. It was a good time. What have you learned from him? Do you know what? I'll be totally honest with you. every time I see Storms it's probably for about 20 minutes and we end up getting separated I couldn't tell you what I learnt from him in Glastonbury because I can't remember after it you're talking about United say that again you're talking about United he's a big red isn't he yeah he is a big red actually do you know what we've never actually got into the United chat with Storms but obviously that's my guy we make sick music together we still get along I'm not saying it like we don't know each other but and what about Coldplay?

56:07oh yeah yeah yeah Uncle Chris I call him yeah yeah he doesn't know that I just say that that was a funny story one time I was at my mum's house long story short and I got a phone call like a FaceTime and it was an American number on the FaceTime which was unusual usually if I haven't got the number saved I won't answer it but because it was American I just thought who could this even be so I answered it and it was Chris Martin and I think I said something like what the hell are you doing phoning me do you know what I mean and he was like yo I love your music I'm performing at the Etihad Stadium tonight or tomorrow, whatever.

56:41Will you come and perform with me? So I was like, yeah, obviously. Like, what do you mean? And then I was like, well, what songs do you want me to perform? And he said, well, do you know what? I love your song, Bust Down. I actually, I'm jealous of that song. I wish I wrote that song. So let's perform Bust Down. And he said, I'll sing the chorus and you do the verses. And I was like, oh, my days, what? So I was like, yeah, that's fine. what other song did I do? done two songs really can't remember what other song oh I did 1989 which is like a Stone Roses sample yeah yeah but yeah so yeah so I've gone to the Etihad Stadium unfortunately got there Coldplay was on I've gone on stage Chris Martin and the band and I'm rapping my song and Chris Martin singing the hook and I was just thinking what even is my life at this point yeah that was mad but yeah shout out to Chris so every time like Coldplay's on the TV and that I just get my little bragging right so I'm just like yes Uncle Chris there's Uncle Chris I love that look we're almost at the end it's been such a great story right in so many highs so many great moments so much still to come I'm sure yeah what about the hidden cost of living your life

57:58right okay where do you want me to start now so there's a lot of things a lot of things that is a difficult one even in terms of the My G song the My G song was my dad's idea he told me that idea probably like 2019 the song wasn't even a thing until 2022 I was scared of putting that out because I didn't like the thought of what people might say about you or your sister about my sister not bothered at what people say about me at this point but my sister that's obviously another story so I was scared of that don't even ask me why because I don't know that was just don't like don't like all that whatever anyway I've ended up getting over that there's a lot of things you know what I mean sometimes you know it'd be nice to it'd be nice to take the family out more you know my mum my mum's not interested in going to the the fanciest restaurant she just wants to go to the white gate yeah go to the white gate yeah yeah yeah exactly but it's just you know certain things are a bit harder you know you've got you've got a girlfriend or something sometimes you've hiding your girlfriend and all that because also just a hard thing is trying to protect other people yeah do you know what i mean this is what i've signed up for i can't moan about what anyone says to me but some people haven't signed up for it my mom's not signed up for it i don't want people coming to my mom's door taking pictures of my mom or i don't want people saying something if i've got a girlfriend i don't want people saying nasty things to my girlfriend that starts making her question herself.

59:33Do you hear what I mean? So like, it's hard and sometimes you feel a bit, sometimes you feel a bit shit because you feel like you're roping people into things that they never, that they didn't really want to get into but because you're in their life, they've got to put up with it. Yeah, yeah. That's a bit of a shit one. It's hard because sometimes you feel like you have to sometimes hide certain emotions because, I don't know, I'm a rapper. you know what I mean I'm a rapper I'm this guy I'm a rapper I get all the girls I've got the big car I've got this I've got this don't get me wrong there's still the my G side of things but in terms of we're talking stereotypical right now you know what I mean so let's talk Kilimanjaro yes what is this all about this is exciting yeah it is exciting I'm very excited yeah we're doing it for the Down Syndrome Association what I said before we're climbing Kilimanjaro on the in January end of January it's like me a couple of my friends my dad a couple of my dad's friends a couple of us doing it I think there's like eight, nine of us doing it and yeah we're raising money for the DSA it'll be a good challenge I need to get these leg muscles working I can't say have you started training yet?

1:00:45the tiniest bits but from I'm literally going home tomorrow and on Monday I believe we're starting to do our practice walks we're doing snow we're doing this on that one, that one we're just picking it up but yeah it'll be good we're raising some money we're trying to raise 70 grand that's the target you can check on my Instagram for all the details go do what you're doing with all that but yeah it's going to be good it's supposed to be an amazing thing to do I like stuff like that I like being outside I like wildlife all that so it'll be enjoyable anyway it's for a good cause so it's a bonus and yeah we'll see what happens I'm excited for it I reckon you'll come back inspired with some new music as well I 100 % agree I think yeah right Are you up for some quick fire questions?

1:01:29Yeah, I'm excited for this part, I can't lie. Good. What are the three non-negotiable behaviours that you think are really important to carry with you in life? Respect, honesty, and love, I'm going to say. That sounds very generic, but it's different when I say it. I'm not one of these generic people. So when I say something generic, just know it's fucking serious. I'm not joking. Go on, that's on, that's on. What's the best piece of advice you've ever received and why? someone said to me once don't sometimes you have to lower your lifestyle standards for a year or two to be able to live how you want to live for the rest of your life that was pretty good that made me that changed me in certain ways you know what I mean I kind of stopped stopped doing certain things for other people you know because I wanted to look cool or something like that or I wanted to impress certain people or you know what I mean like all the The chains and it really means nothing, really.

1:02:28Do you get what I mean? This was definitely... I definitely had probably had some sort of insecure moment that even strikes the message in my brain to even want to buy this chain. Do you get what I mean? See, I think it's interesting that you're a rapper, right, and you wear big jewellery. Because, you know, Pep Guardiola famously doesn't like signing footballers that have sleeve tattoos. And the question is why? Well, the answer is because they're just like every other footballer. they don't have their own mind they don't have their own conviction they just every other footballer has a whole sleeve of tattoos I'll do the same do you know what I mean and it's interesting when you go this isn't even really me but it's a reminder you have to play a game don't you yeah you do have to play a game I'm not I definitely don't regret it I don't regret anything but like I'm not really that guy to be like I'm not really the flashiest guy all the time people are actually going to laugh when I say that and say yeah you're lying because I have done certain things in the past where I felt like I've had to get this say certain things in songs do you know what I mean like whatever it is part and parcel of the game as well but essentially like yeah you don't have to if you want to live the life that you want to live slow it down for a couple of years and go again what's your biggest strength what's your greatest weakness my biggest strength is being myself no one can tell me that I acted differently in a room with this man than I did in a room with this man or woman and I'm pretty pretty proud of that I'm not going to lie to you because like not everyone can say that and I've been in a room with Ashanti's dancers and I've been in a room with the most gangster rappers in England and I've been I'm the same guy and people out there I literally sit here and watch people change as they walk through different rooms because I'm so genuine people probably let the guard down with me do you know what I mean so I'm meeting all these people and they're 100 % themselves.

1:04:25And then even if it's a rapper, this rapper will be so genuine and stuff like that. And then we'll go into a room full of other rappers and he ain't the same person that was just in that room with me. Do you know what I'm saying? So, but each to their own. Greatest weakness? My greatest weakness is being restless and being a bit like anxious. Not anxious. Yeah, anxious as well. being restless and being a bit like can't sit still because it is annoying it is a bit of a weakness but a lot would be different if I wasn't like this I feel like this is part of my motivation we're probably going to watch this back I've probably sat in 15 different positions all the way through this I was saying this a couple of days ago I was just chilling, I was having a day off funnily enough it got to about 9 o 'clock at night and everyone's like settling down, putting the TV on and I was just ready to go.

1:05:21I just wanted to go to work. Like, I don't know. I feel like I've just done this for so long now. It's just, if I've got a couple of days off, by the second day, I can't. And I'm phoning my manager and I'm saying, book me a studio session now or do something, give me something to do because I can't just send you nothing. It's a superpower, mate. It's a superpower. And that's why I've tried to do a couple of different things. I'm not going to start waffling about everything, but that's why it's not just a music thing, it's a Sips thing. I've got a show for a company. I've been working on my clothing company I just load the different things because I can't sit still basically Good luck If you could go back to one moment in your life what would it be and why?

1:06:00I don't know I wouldn't change anything that's the thing I wouldn't do anything differently so if I was to go back to anything it would just be to just live that moment again and reminisce so maybe like headlining part life or something which weren't even that long ago or or something like just a random day in high school do you know what I mean just when life was a bit simpler life was a bit simpler as long as I've got 50p in my pocket I'm laughing so yeah either or either part life headline or 50p in the pocket I was going to say yeah yeah yeah and finally what you'd like to leave people thinking about really your one golden rule for a high performance life only you are to blame in most respects you can sit there all day every day and moan about certain things that's happening in the world and with your life and how you should be this person or if you kind of envy this person a little bit because he or she's got this and you've not only you can make that happen yeah because you can sit about and wait for someone to come and help you and they might do if you're lucky but if they do they're going to expect something back you know I mean that's how the game works especially when we're talking getting into something a certain industry or something there's not one man i've ever met walking down Kensington High Street who've offered me help and not expected nothing back so don't think that everyone's your best mate no one is your best mate you you are the one you can take yourself to where you want to go if people want to help on on the way they can do but don't let someone take control of where your car's going you've got to take the wheel and go in a nutshell forget about everyone you know i mean worry about the people you love and the people that love you and everyone else is a bonus you know i mean you meet good people along the way that's a bonus you're probably going to meet more bad people than good people keep it stepping keep working hard and you'll get to where you want to be you know i mean if you take control of your life don't let no one else get in the way of that that's what i'd say Harrison thank you so much for your time what a pleasure thank you very much appreciate it thank you thanks mate thank you

1:08:18Damien Jake look he's famous for being H the rapper but I think our conversation there was with Harrison the young man from I would have said Manchester but you'll correct me he's from Moston in North Manchester in North Manchester we've got to get that bit right and you know what I thought was really interesting when we asked him if he could go back to one moment in his life where would he go and why and he said either headlining park life which is a huge festival here in the uk or at school it was 50p in my pocket and i think from the conversation it's clear that the kid at school with 50p in his pocket still makes up so much of him who he represents what he represents and what inspires him and drives him yeah definitely and i think what that conversation was fascinating for me is was it was a conversation around change And I often think of, when you listen to people's stories, in my head, I often think of what's known as a change equation.

1:09:09It's an equation that says there needs to be certain factors in place for change to happen. So first of all, you need to have a vision of what you want. And in Harrison's case, that came at 15 when he's in the park and he's getting that validation of actually you can rap. You also need a dissatisfaction with what you've currently got. And he says working on the building sites wasn't where he wanted his career to go. And then you need to take that important first step. You need to actually do what you want to do. You need to move in a direction towards it. And if you get those three things right, that's often enough to overcome the resistance of sitting on your sofa and just having a head full of dreams and never actually executing it.

1:09:46And I think what Harrison was sharing there was that formula, but in real life stories about having the courage to put yourself out there, go into these clubs, go and perform and know that you don't want to go back to a life that doesn't tap into those talents and potentials. And that's a formula that any of us can apply, whatever we want to change in our lives. I think it's also a testament to remembering the importance of where you come from and how much that informs the decisions you make today. So yeah, of course, he's like a globally famous rap artist, right? But look what keeps him grounded, his sister.

1:10:22The fact that he brought his dad into the conversation really early on. The fact that he still lives in Manchester, doesn't live in London. and I think that sometimes we feel that the only way to be successful and to move forwards is to push away everything that ever created us and I think it's totally wrong. The reason for his success is the fact that he's still grounded and who he is, where he's from and what matters to him. That's really powerful. I love that quote from one of my favourite films is The Departed when Frank Costello, who Jack Nicholson plays, says, I don't want to be a product to my environment, I want my environment to be a product to me.

1:10:56Do you know what I mean? and what you're saying is you're taking the things from where you grow up, but you're equally then using that to shape the world in which you live in. And the very fact that he's out there climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and making a difference for the vulnerable in our society, which often, you know, people with disabilities can feel like that. That's a guy that's definitely making his environment a product of the person he is, kind, decent, honest characteristics. Thanks, mate. Thank you. that brings us to the end of today's show with h don't forget if you want to help with his fundraising then there's a link in the description to this show h we wish you the very best of luck with your challenge and everything else that you get up to what an amazing conversation thank you as well for joining myself and damien for this episode we'll see you again very soon

1:11:57Thank you.

1:12:27That engine is Shopify, making selling seamless for them and shopping effortless for us. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout Aloe Yoga uses. Sign up for your$1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash retail, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash retail to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com slash retail. You're invited to spend an evening on Fremont Avenue. For generations, this house has been home to soulful music, good food, and cutthroat card games, saints and sinners, unexpected laughs and unspoken truths, good times, hard times, and of course, family. Always family. So pull up a chair and join us at Fremont Avenue, a world premiere play only at Arena Stage.

1:13:14Performances start October 8th. Tickets at arenastage.org.