Marcus Haran goes to places others fear to tread on his latest single Otherside — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“This is a tragic love ballad,” the Toronto trap-soul hip hopper says. “It’s me telling the story of a fatal attraction between two people in love, but also the relationship between someone and the addiction that loves them. Making the music video for this was an emotional experience for everyone involved. Especially the actors portraying the two main characters: some reactions weren’t always an act.”
Nor are the very real, very raw lyrical storytelling found throughout Haran’s breakthrough LP Marcus Haran: A True Story. a Soundscape to in-Difference. (2018). The 10-track conceptual album of jazzy, velvet vocals was rife with truth-telling, touching on his life story — being a Parisian-born Sri Lankan refugee, having vitiligo, his painful childhood memories of being used as a drug mule, and his experiences with depression and abuse.
In addition to Marcus Haran: A True Story. a Soundscape to in-Difference., Haran has released a series of singles, including Hot Boy From Sri Lanka, Alejandro, Nike, Ski-Doo, K-Ci & JoJo and Whole Ting. Between them all, Haran deftly dips between styles with inherent ease, ultimately landing in a sound all his own.
“There’s the art and grit of Paris, and there’s the hip hop representing the street and cultural tones of my Sri Lankan Tamil heritage,” he explains. “There were tracks that were a departure from my last album, a more fun, witty and clever side of me; I’ve let go of all my worries and neglects and created music in more of a dark, comical side that showed more of my sins, thoughts and upbringing. The new sound is Toronto. It is Canada. It is the world where everyone is welcomed.”
Watch Otherside above, hear more from Marcus Haran below, and keep up with him on his website, Instagram and Twitter.
