Small Talks: Harper Bloom, From Indie Folk to Indie Pop

Welcome to Let's Be Perfectly Queer Podcast, your go to LGBT Australian podcast for all things queer.

In this episode we chat with Melbourne-based queer indie-pop artist Harper Bloom, whose heartfelt lyrics and unapologetic storytelling have made her one of Australia’s most exciting emerging queer voices.

Harper opens up about her musical journey and how embracing her queerness and confidence influenced her sound.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

•  The inspiration behind her new EP House of Cards and hit single Sleepy Head (rated ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ on Triple J)
• The intersection of queerness, creativity, and identity in today’s music industry
• How confidence, community, and collaboration fuel authentic artistry
• Harper’s advice for queer musicians starting their journey

Whether you’re an indie-pop lover, a queer artist finding your voice, or simply love hearing how personal stories become powerful music, this conversation will leave you inspired.

👉 Follow Harper Bloom, stream House of Cards, and join us for a vibrant chat about visibility, vulnerability, and the joy of being perfectly queer.

🎧 Grab your headphones and discover a new aussie queer artist... and until next time, stay perfectly queer!

Archie & Katie 🌈


Hear more from Harper:

Transcript

Podcast: Let's Be Perfectly Queer
 Episode Title: Small Talks: Harper Bloom, From Indie-Folk to Indie-Pop
 Host(s): Archie
 Guest(s): Harper Bloom

Archie: Welcome to Let's Be Perfectly Queer, a queer podcast, creating space to talk about all things queer. My name is Archie, and today I am joined by special guest Harper Bloom. Welcome back, and on today's episode, we have a small talk with Harper Bloom. But before we get into that, we have some new listeners in Lake Forest, Illinois, Stockbridge, Georgia, Lansing, Michigan, and Toran Kiska Poky.

Archie: Thank you for tuning in and a big thank you to all our returning listeners who keep supporting our podcast. It does mean a lot to us, so thank you. Some positive news headlines to end the week. So there is a trans non-binary adaption of the Little mermaid titled little M, and that is heading to London during gender fluid visibility week.

Archie: So that's pretty cool. Big news from Japan. The government's now recognizing same-sex couples as being in defacto marriages under nine more laws. It's a big step forward for queer rights in Japan. Still waiting on marriage equality, but it is a step in the right direction if I say so. Myself, over in Columbia, a volleyball league just got told off by the constitutional court for banning transgender athletes.

Archie: The league had a policy that excluded trans people from competing, but after one trans player took legal action, a panel of judges ruled that the ban violated their human rights. So well done there. Over in Columbia, good work and Tasmania's Lower House has unanimously backed the bill to compensate people who were convicted under old anti-gay and anti cross-dressing laws.

Archie: The bill heads to the upper house in November, so fingers crossed it goes through. Oh, and also don't forget, pride Month in Perth is just around the corner running from the 21st of November to the 30th of November. With this year's theme, we are here. So very excited for that as well. Today we are chatting with Nam Melbourne based queer indie pop artists, Harper Bloom.

Archie: Who's been lining up Australia's music scene with her heartfelt lyrics, colorful energy, and unapologetically queer storytelling. We caught up with Harper to talk about her creative process, the stories behind her new music, and what it means to bring queer joy and authenticity to the indie pop world.

Archie: Let's jump in. Here's our chat with Harper Bloom.

Archie: Welcome to the show. Today we have Harper Bloom. Thank you so much. Before we get into this actual episode, did you wanna tell our listeners and our audience a little bit about yourself and who you are? 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, for sure. So, I'm originally from Perth, your hometown, and I moved over to Melbourne like seven years ago.

 Harper Bloom: To pursue music. I was inspired by, I went for a little trip to New York and I was really inspired by the open mic there, so I thought I would come over here and try the open mic scene. And yeah, it's been a long journey. I started out in indie folk, in the indie folk world, and then now I've morphed into more indie pop, um, with a lot more synth based production and a bit more party party pop sounds.

 Harper Bloom: So. Yeah, it's a lot of fun life. 

Archie: And with the indie folk, that's where a lot of queer artists kind of resonate to at the start. Was that something to do with why you resonated to the indie folk, or you just kind of like the sound? 

 Harper Bloom: Oh, that's interesting. I think as a songwriter and as a queer songwriter, you got, that's where I started.

 Harper Bloom: Like I'm not the the greatest musician. I more of a songwriter. So I think you've got a lot to say as a person that's been in the closet for a while. And maybe that's why a lot of queer musicians start out as, um, singer songwriters. Maybe. Maybe we've figured something out there. 

Archie: Maybe it's not about the production, it's about the story that you wanna tell people.

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, yeah. So we're still doing that, but just in a more, um, in a more poppy way. 

Archie: Yeah. No, that's very cool. And what made you want to delve into this more pop? Was it a part of your journey or you just felt like the Pop India was kind of where you wanted to be? 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, I just, I grew into my confidence a lot the last few years.

 Harper Bloom: Uh, I grew into myself a lot and I felt confident in my sexuality, and for some reason that just morphed into a new sound and co-writing with a few different people and then. It just all fed into like this new sound. So I think there's a lot to do with confidence. 

Archie: Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Definitely makes sense.

Archie: As you become more confident in yourself, you get more confident to take risks and try different things because you now know who you are, which is really great. Yeah, it's interesting. 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah. I dunno what came first, the chicken or the 

Archie: but age old question for sure. So your track sleepy head, it's rated four stars by Jordan Bar on Triple J.

Archie: Congratulations. Well done. Could you walk us through the story you're trying to tell with it? 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, so that was written about, there was a friend of mine who was also in the closet and that was really struggling. So it's all about anxiety, like in adolescence, and then that's why we pulled the children's choir in to sort of get that, that theme across of like being in school and adolescence and the struggles you go through with your identity.

 Harper Bloom: And then it sort of comes into like this heroic euro, I dunno how to say it, euphoric ending. Um, that's the right way. And it's like this celebration in the end. 

Archie: So yeah, a bit of a story. Yeah. And I guess you also, having young voices, it's like you can have this childlike innocence and have that in there, and it really helps give the song a whole new meaning than what you originally would've written it for.

Archie: Or did you originally write it with the idea of having child's whylike voices in there? 

 Harper Bloom: No, we wrote it first and then I was feeling like, oh, the chorus is really lacking in some sort of mph. It needs, like, it would, and it would be really cool with the, a lot of kids' voices, you know, like middle, uh, what's that song, middle East or, and another brick in the wall.

 Harper Bloom: And there's, there's like, and it brings out that feeling of being in school so well when there's these kids' voices. So that's why I really wanted to do that. I was 

Archie: inspired by those songs. We kind of touched on it a bit, but do you think embracing your queerness influenced your creativity and confidence as a songwriter and a performer?

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, I do. I think really coming into my skin, like I turned 30, so that's, I think it was like a stepping stone of really growing into my skin a lot and being in Melbourne for a long time as well. It really embraces different sexuality and diversity, and I think that helped with my confidence as well.

 Harper Bloom: And so then that fed into. New direction in music. And also there's so many great producers and co-writers here, so I think that helps with fleshing it out a little bit more from the folk world to like more of a synth 

Archie: world. Do you ever feel sometimes that you can be boxed in by your sexuality and label when you're performing as being like a queer artist?

 Harper Bloom: Well, to be honest, I don't really mind it because I feel like it in this industry it actually helps, um, which is nice. Like there's a lot of other industries where. Being queer, I've rocked up as a support worker and been told to go home because I look too much like a boy. You know, there's a lot of industries where sometimes it doesn't work in your favor, but I think music, especially Triple J, really try and empower those queer artists, which is really, really fortunate.

 Harper Bloom: 'cause we don't have that, that luck in other industries. 

Archie: Yeah, no, that makes sense. And that would've been really hard to hear that go home. You look too much like a. 

 Harper Bloom: Oh, do you know what? Because it only happened like this year and I'm just so used to stuff like that. So unfortunately it wasn't hard, but I was grateful 'cause I ended up getting paid and I didn't have to work 'cause I looked like a boy.

Archie: So you're like sweet win-win in the end. 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, win-win in the end. Yeah. 

Archie: So with your new album, ep, are there any messages or stories you hope your fans take away from the new songs? 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, well the EP is called House of Cards 'cause it was written at a time where I was, I was caregiving for this amazing woman and I didn't realize that I was sort of also being controlled by the family.

 Harper Bloom: So all these songs were written in that time period. And so I was in a strange headspace. Like I wasn't my full self when I didn't realize. So I think, yeah, they're all written under that term, house of cards. 'cause it's like. You're being puppeteered around and then all of a sudden you figure it out and the house of cards explodes.

 Harper Bloom: So these songs were all written in that time period and I think, I think they're good though. So it's confusing. Yeah. I don't know where I was going with that, but I, that's just ended up rounding. 

Archie: But don't you find it interesting that you know that sometimes from pain can come the best songs? 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, that's what I'm finding.

 Harper Bloom: My last song got on so many Spotify playlists and it was written during that time, and I'm like. Well, maybe being, when you're under a lot of stress and pressure, maybe that brings out the best out of you. I don't know. 

Archie: We'll see. Well, they do say that, right? Pressure makes diamonds. So it's that kind of, that pressure that really put you into that songwriting muse, that kind of mood that made you write these songs that people can definitely relate to.

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, I was under so much pressure and it, it maybe it helped me write my best work. So we'll see with the next one. Cobra, that's my favorite. And everyone likes it live. So we'll see how that goes. And what's that, what's that song about? Uh, that's, that's about, oh, it's kind of weird. It's about a, a woman and circus themes.

 Harper Bloom: I better not go too much into detail. That's all right. We don't wanna give it away. But it's, it's, it's being a alluded by someone in sort of a circus environment. So, and it's called the Cobra 'cause she'll get you in the end. 

Archie: If there's someone right now listening who. Starting off as an indie folk artist or who is a queer musician who feels like the world's too much, do you have any advice for anybody who's trying to get into doing music?

 Harper Bloom: I think just start doing it. Like that's what I started doing. I you, I read this sign that in New York and it said there's boldness in beginning. And I think if you just, you can't sit and wait, you have to just go and. Start doing it whatever way that is. I think going and doing open mic nights is a good way to start and test out material and get some confidence performing in front of people.

Archie: Do you have any tour dates coming up or anything that you want to let our listeners know about? 

 Harper Bloom: Oh, I've got a show coming up in November. We haven't figured out the date yet, but it's gonna be, uh, I think it's all ages and it's to promote the ep. I'll have to, I think it'll be later November. 

Archie: And just a, a last one to finish and a fun one to end the episode.

Archie: If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and what would it sound like? 

 Harper Bloom: Oh, you know, I really like Benny. I don't know if they produced their own tracks, but. The sound is so obscure and odd and quirky, and I really like that sort of production. And their songwriting is really unique as well, so I'm sure they do the songwriting at least.

 Harper Bloom: So I would love, I would love to collaborate with Ben. 

Archie: Yeah. Cool. And what, so what would sound like, would it be obscure out there? 

 Harper Bloom: Yeah, I think it would sound really odd. And yeah, just like, kind of like Goche. Goche is, um, somebody I used to know. Something like that would, you know, with really strange synth parts.

 Harper Bloom: And you know, those little piano kid tiny keyboards that kids use, I can't remember what they're called, but 

Archie: that sort of thing. Sounds definitely like a vibe. And do you have any last messages before we end this episode? 

 Harper Bloom: Thank you so much for doing everything that you do to support queer artists and people.

 Harper Bloom: You're amazing and really appreciate you having me on the podcast. 

Archie: Thank you very much. Thank you so much for getting in touch. Thank you for jumping on board and letting us know about a little bit about yourself, about your music and what you're doing, and of course, your new ep, which is very exciting. I hope our listeners have enjoyed.

Archie: And if you have listened and enjoyed, don't forget, you can follow Harper Bloom on the links that we'll put into our show notes. And you can also give us a rate review and a subscribe if you think this is a great episode as well. And until next time, I hope that we have been 

 Harper Bloom: perfectly clear.