Harts is the performing alias of Darren Hart, an Australian-based musician, composer, and producer. His multi-faceted talent shines through his music, which is full of an exciting mix of sources and influences. From jazz to funk to psychedelic rock, Harts is a little bit of everything.
His most recent album, 2016’s Smoke Fire Hope Desire, earned him the title of Australia’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year. His interestingly blended sound pushed his music to the top, and he successfully made a name for himself as a greatly talented young artist.
Now, Harts is back. On February 16, he released “Ain’t Nothin’ On Me,” a funky tune with an emphasis on self-confidence.
Harts’ “Ain’t Nothin’ On Me” Inspired by Prince
Harts found inspiration for “Ain’t Nothin On Me” from his mentor and idol, the late Prince. In fact, some of the lyrics within the song were Prince’s own words of advice for Harts.
“The line ‘They could never do it like you’ is something Prince told me as words of encouragement to me when I thought I wasn’t good enough to be in the game with some of today’s current top artists,” he said.
Prince thought highly of the emerging young artist, once saying “he reminds me of how I was at that age.” Understandably, Harts hasn’t taken this mentorship lightly. Instead, he turned Prince’s words into an exciting and uplifting funk-rock jam.
“Ain’t Nothin’ On Me” opens with a bang, wasting no time by starting in the chorus.
“Not hard to see/you ain’t nothin’ on me,” Harts sings throughout.
The background instrumentals are full of different influences, consisting of a bunch of riffs blended nicely together. All of the layers add an interesting complexity to the song, putting the focus on the instrumentals while the vocal melodies are a little more simple.
The highlight of the song is in the guitar solo, which ramps up the energy considerably and offers a break between iterations of the chorus.
The vibe is fun, and the important message of empowerment and self-confidence is clear and infectious. After listening to “Ain’t Nothin’ On Me,” you might just end up believing in yourself a little more.
Be sure to keep up with Harts on social media so you don’t miss the excitement and possibilities that the year will hold.
