Grant Harrison

Grant Harrison says he once thought he was born to play baseball not music. As a newcomer on the music scene, it’s hard to tell music wasn’t his first love. With a knack for songwriting and performing that can’t be taught, this young singer/ songwriter is creating a buzz around Houston and he’s humble enough to not even realize it.

Starting out by drumming on pots and pans as a 3-year-old (like most kids), Grant eventually moved past cookware and toy xlyophones and learned piano at a young age. Raised in a family deeply rooted in the church, he grew up watching his mother sing in the praise band and quickly added singing to his repertoire of skills. He learned to play the guitar when his sister received one for Christmas and he was able to snag it when she wasn’t looking. The ukulele and the mandolin made their way into his arsenal of instruments as well.

“Once I had access to an instrument, I couldn’t put it down,” Grant recalls. “I took up percussion in school and at 12, I joined the praise band at my church.”

As his appreciation for music and instrumentation grew, Grant juggled his passion for baseball by playing in local teams, collecting and trading cards of his favorite players, and dreaming of being a pitcher or catcher in the major leagues. Trying to be a master of all, in the 8th grade he made the jump to music full-time giving up his beloved sport when the two pastimes began to clash. Joining the school choir, he exceled in competitions and pursued music throughout his high school career.

Though this seems like a rosy tale of a bright and shiny new pop-star ready to knock a #1 hit out of the park on his first at bat, the real story is more like those famous baseball movies that surprise with a dramatic twist before the happy ending.

Grant Harrison has weathered some trying times and he’s barely 20. Bullied and taunted by his classmates on a daily basis throughout junior high, and struggling with the depression and rage associated with such treatment, Grant admits his faith was tested and that at times he lived in a very dark place.

“I was constantly being threatened, I couldn’t get away from it,” Grant states. “I was very depressed and started listening to music with incredibly dark lyrics because it expressed how I was feeling. I just wanted to say ‘F- the world.’ I felt like God was there, but he just wasn’t helping me. I was begging for things to change and felt there was no way out.”

Hiding the pain and confusion from his family, Grant climbed his way out of the rabbit hole and decided to clean up his act. He started with eliminating swearing from his vocabulary and then followed that by implementing more positive music into his life. As he worked on improving his attitude, he noticed his anger was slowly dissapating. Piece by piece, giving all the credit to allowing God back into his life, it all started falling into place. As his confidence began to build, Grant used songwriting as an outlet and began to focus more on his craft.

“Songwriting became such a passion that it overruled any ability to pay attention in class,” he said. “All I wanted to do was write. I would sit in class and hear the music as the lyrics came to me. I couldn’t get to my guitar fast enough.”

With musical aspirations still burning bright and forefront in his heart, after graduation Grant pursued further education in vocal training, songwriting and guitar.

As a fresh face on the scene, Grant is in the enviable position to march to the beat of his own drum. Influences include the likes of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire and Chicago while whispered comparisons to Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars and John Mayer abound as he performs. But, Grant is determined to be as unique as possible.

And he is well on his way! Grant’s first EP of original music, IN THE CLOUDS, is being produced by the renowned AJ Vallejo (Phillip Thomas, Natalie Zoe, Derrick Davis) in Austin and his show schedule is filling up thanks in part to Paul Ehmer of Houston’s Dimitri’s Rail. His career seems to be in fast forward, yet through it all, Grant is able to stay true to himself and hold steadfast to the positivity that is now commonplace in his semi-charmed movie-like kind of life.

“What can I say? I love music. I love God. And that’s really what I’m all about.”

If the music industry were like a baseball game, even those in the cheap seats would call that a grand slam.