Life & Work with Hayley Tharp

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hayley Tharp.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I first started my blog in 2017 but didn’t seriously start writing about music until the following year. I have always had a passion for music and discovering new artists, but I felt uncomfortable fully committing my blog to music. I first started blogging about my career and professional development.

This just didn’t come naturally. When I would write about a song or an artist, I enjoyed it, everything just flowed easily. One of my close friends pushed me to fully commit myself to the niche and that really boosted my confidence in my writing. I needed that.

From there, I just started writing more and more about the music I was listening to and trying to find emerging artists that I liked. That opened the door to start contributing to different outlets and having artists reach out to me directly to pass along their music.

I’ve been able to develop so many positive relationships with publicists, managers, and artists themselves. I love it. I’m so grateful for that.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a smooth road in the sense that I get to pursue my passion.There are definitely discouraging moments. I mean, sometimes I will spend hours on a piece, feel so accomplished, love the artist, and they won’t even acknowledge it. It’s frustrating, but I’m not doing this for validation.I’m doing it because I love it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a music blogger. My niche is hip-hop, but I don’t like to limit myself. It sounds cliche, but I listen to all genres of music. If I like it, I’ll cover it. I manage my personal blog, contribute to a handful of publications, interview artists on my YouTube channel, and try to create valuable content.

I’m most proud of the relationships I have been able to cultivate in the industry. I pride myself on being very professional, but I love the professional contacts I have met that have become friendships. Oh, and meeting Snoop Dogg and working with Death Row was pretty cool!

I would say my professionalism sets me apart from others. Whether I’m working with management or an artist directly, I try to communicate as clearly as possible and be as efficient as I can.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
In my opinion, LA is the epicenter of music as a whole.

Specifically, west coast rap is so important to me. West coast rap is my comfort food. I love all of the artists in that scene. Of course Tupac, Dre, Snoop, Nipsey but also Dom Kennedy, Bluebucksclan, G Perico, Berner… the list goes on.

I hate the traffic and the cost of living in LA lol.

Contact Info:

• Email: tharp.hayley@gmail.com
• Website: https://hayleytharp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hayleyrtharp/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hayleyrtharp
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd1iPhn2C8anx7sVZ2OYddw/featured
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08yQOjtfVUXplWE46bwcWr?si=7fee6ee789c04127&nd=1
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hayleyrtharp

Image Credits
Joe Welkie @jhotophoto