Harleymoon Kemp, daughter of Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp and former Wham! backing singer Shirlie Holliman, has carved her own path in country music. The 36-year-old singer will perform at The Long Road festival at Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, from August 27 to 30.
From shy child to Nashville convert
Despite growing up in a famous family, Harleymoon says she was a “shy” child who preferred creative hobbies like singing and writing music to seeking the spotlight. It was a writing camp in Nashville, Tennessee, that made her take her talent seriously.
“To be honest, I was dressed like Dolly Parton at a hen do because I was excited,” she laughs. “I got to Nashville and very quickly realised that it’s very casual, just jeans and T-shirts.”
Though she ditched the sequins and tassels, the genre suited her. She has since released a string of country-pop singles, with her latest, Wash, out since early June. The song was inspired by a night out with friends who teased her about a man.
“My best friends get the demo first, because half the time it’s written about them. I wrote Wash after a night when I was saying ‘don’t let me ring him ever again.’ And they heard the demo and were like ‘yeah, fair enough. He deserves it.’”
High standards shaped by parents' marriage
Harleymoon credits her parents' happy marriage – Martin and Shirlie, both 64, have been married since 1988 – for her high standards in love.
“When you’re single in your 30s a lot of people say ‘when are you gonna settle down?’ Or ‘Why haven’t you found the one?’ And I kept giving the same answer, I’d say ‘because I know what good looks like and I just haven’t found it yet’,” she explains.
“Also, I am a very happy girl. I am happy single and I am not here for the drama or stress and so if something isn’t right that’s ok. I do know what love looks like, I know what a happy home is and it’s ok I haven’t found that.”
She wrote a song about her parents' relationship, What Good Looks Like, which went viral online last year. “Seeing the love my parents had, and the love they had given me and my brother, I thought ‘I really would like something that feels like that and the home I have grown up in,’” she says.
“They are just so kind and so loving to each other. They are just best mates and I really believe that exists.” She played the song to them and filmed their reaction. “They burst into tears, as I absolutely hoped they would do, and it got like, six million views.”
Excitement for The Long Road
Harleymoon is now working on her next track, which she calls her “favourite song I’ve ever written.” She is also looking forward to performing at The Long Road, where she will share a stage with her hero, US country star Maren Morris.
“I’m really nervous to run into her backstage,” she says. “She opened the door, I feel for that pop and country crossover to start. Now country music is the fastest-growing genre in the UK.”
She points to the success of US country star Luke Combs, who played London’s Wembley Stadium last month. “Three nights in a row sold out!” she adds. “If you would have told me five years ago that 180,000 people in London would be wearing cowboy hats at a Luke Combs festival, I would never have believed you.”
Harleymoon Kemp is playing The Long Road festival at Stanford Hall, Leicestershire from August 27 to 30. For more information and tickets, head to thelongroad.com.
