Today we’d like to introduce you to Harper-Rose Drummond.
Harper-Rose, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I moved to LA when I was 19 to pursue stand up. I got up at the Potluck mic at The Comedy Store for my first time doing comedy (thanks to my friend Mikala Lee), I got one half of a joke out, someone yelled “nice tits” or something lovely to that extent, then I ran off the stage crying! It was impressively embarrassing. I didn’t do stand up again until I was 23. I lurked in the back of various open mics too timid to get back on stage while lying to my close friends saying I was actively doing it. You know, totally normal and healthy behavior. A woman in my improv class heard me say I was doing stand up, aka being a dishonest psychopath, and booked me for an 8-minute spot at the Ice House, which was my second time ever being on stage. My God it was horrifying but after I did it, I knew there was no turning back. Now four years later here we are, slightly more brave and still crying!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Yes! Very smooth! Well there was the whole being diagnosed with epilepsy and getting a DUI in the same year thing. That deterred 20 years old me from getting on stage for three more years. Other than that, it’s been breezy! Oh… but then I was raped by someone close to me in 2016 right after I had finally begun to do stand up. I had to take nine months off to emotionally rebuild myself. Okay but other than that? A piece of cake! Fine you’re right, I forgot about the rampant sexism that occurs on the daily from being a woman in a male-dominated field. Now I want to stress eat a piece of cake.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a comedian honey! I also act (Laugh Tracks on TruTv) and have written some fun lil things for The Huffington Post. I also co-produce an alt comedy show with my close friend/comedian Bianca Cristovao called The Last Voicemail, that’s starting back up in the new year. I spend my downtime subtweeting until I’m numb.
I guess I’m most proud of how radically honest and vulnerable my comedy is, although my mother would just call it “publicly spiraling”.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Dang. I wouldn’t let fear of failure hold me back. I waited about 4 or 5 years after my first mic to get on stage again, I was so scared of looking stupid and riddled with intense anxiety. Although in those years, I acquired wild life experience that I now use for my jokes so I guess it worked out.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.harperrosed.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @harperrosed
- Twitter: @harperrosed
Image Credit:
Andrew Max Levy, Greg Feiner, Aaron Bright, Mike Falzone
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
