This time last year, nobody knew who Harriet Bradshaw was. At 17 years old she was living life like any other teenager, going to college and spending time with her friends. However, fast forward a year and the young superstar has skyrocketed into fame all with the help of YouTube. INSIDE met the pop sensation in her favourite mid-town café, to discuss her journey so far, and what is yet to come.

Despite her new-found stardom, Harriet is just the same as any other girl her age. “I still see my friends from home as much as I can” she says, “it sounds cheesy but they really do help to keep you grounded”. When she isn’t studying for her A-Levels or catching up on homework, Harriet is selling out arenas worldwide on her international tour, for her breakthrough album ‘Spotlight’. “I never expected my music to get so big” Harriet explains, “It was entirely by chance that I even entered this industry, never mind succeeded in it!”

That chance came when Harriet and her friends set up their own YouTube channel. ‘We started the channel as a bit of fun, [it was] a way to share videos with our friends and keep in touch”. The website enjoyed mild success with its funny videos, reaching a few hundred views each time. “We thought it was amazing that anyone wanted to watch our videos, it was so strange!” Harriet’s big break finally came when her YouTube friends uploaded a video of her singing a hit Beyoncé track whilst driving in her car, without her even knowing! “Initially I found it hilarious that the video had been uploaded, it was meant to be one of our usual, funny videos”. Titled, ‘She’s Actually Really Good?’ the video created more attention than the girls could have ever imagined.

The channel’s small fan base erupted over night, with the video going viral in over 15 countries. It is estimated that the 40 second video was shared by over 2.5 million people, with over 5 million views on YouTube alone. “I was woken up the next morning with a call from one of my friends” Harriet remembers, “she just said ‘you won’t believe what’s happened’”. Harriet could not believe the response the video gained, as despite having loved singing from an early age had never considered it to be a possible career venture or even hobby. “My twitter followers grew by thousands every minute and I was getting messages, calls and emails left right and centre”. “All of a sudden everybody wanted to know my name and who I was, it was so overwhelming”.

There was one email, however, that stood out from the rest. “When SYCO records contacted me, I could hardly believe what I was reading… They wanted me to come to the studios for a listening session”. In utter shock Harriet agreed immediately, and her adventure as a star began. “It was an amazing day… I met huge producers and directors who were all dying to hear me sing… It was unreal”. After just one week in the studio, Harriet was signed to a record contract and began working on her album. “It all happened so quickly, it just feels like a blur! I feel so thankful for the opportunity to do what I love every single day, and even more flattered that it makes other people happy too!”

Since signing to SYCO, Harriet has enjoyed the pop star life to the full. From TV appearances to radio performances and red carpets to festival appearances, there’s not a place in the last year that this teen hasn’t been. Noted now not only for her unique and beautiful voice, but her trendy and classy sense of style, Harriet has become the idol of millions of teenage girls worldwide. “I never thought that people might look up to me… I still just feel like a normal person!” Her appearances on the red carpet have caused fashion frenzy, with Harriet being at the top of nearly every best dressed list throughout awards season! “I’ve always loved fashion and clothes, but I never thought that I would

have the opportunity to wear such incredible and high end couture. It truly is a dream come true”. Harriet’s style statements have landed her on ever FROW in fashion week, and at all the backstage parties, so is there a chance Harriet might be the face of the next designer campaigns? “A career in fashion or modelling would be just amazing” Harriet gushes, “but for the moment, music is my main focus”.

Currently on the European leg of her world tour, Harriet is performing five; four hour shows a week in over 20 different cities. “It is exhausting!” Harriet admits, “But it’s so worth it to be able to stand on stage to a full stadium, there’s no other feeling like it!” Harriet also has a huge interaction with her worldwide fan base. “I’m always chatting to fans on twitter or my website; I try to reply as much as I can! When I’m travelling I love doing live streams so that I can really communicate with my fans, they really do mean everything to me!” So what’s next for the super starlet? “When I’m reaching the end of my tour, I’m going to start working on a new album and I want it to be huge!”

Harriet wants her success story to inspire any other young people with aspirations to work in the music industry. “It just goes to show that anything is possible” she explains, “This time last year, I could have never dreamed I would be where I am today”. If her world famous YouTube video had never been uploaded, Harriet may never have broken into the industry, and may have never tried. “I’ve really discovered myself since my journey began” she smiles, “And I’m so grateful to my amazing fans for making all of this possible. I could never see myself doing anything else, so thank you!”