Saint Harison Discusses How He Made Sense of Heartbreak With New ‘Ghosted’ EP: ‘It Came From a Real Place’

Saint Harison’s latest creative journey took an unexpected turn when a turbulent romantic entanglement derailed his original plans. The British singer had been developing a project centered on his childhood experiences, but the emotional fallout from a difficult relationship reshaped his artistic direction. “As you can tell from the songs, it was one of those,” he explains, referring to a partnership fraught with complications. This raw material forms the backbone of his new EP “Ghosted,” which dropped on Friday. “There was really no plan for it. It finally came together and I had a project that was a storyline and I didn’t really know I was doing it at the time.” The eight-track collection, spanning just 21 minutes, represents Harison’s first release in three years since his 2023 debut EP “Lost a Friend.” Across the record, he navigates the emotional debris left behind, exploring themes of gradual detachment on the title track and regret on the swinging “Bad.”

Harison’s vocal delivery combines bravado with precision, his sweeping voice elevating the stakes over R&B-infused production by D’Mile, Akeel Henry, and Alex Lewis. Much of the EP was written in his bedroom, following his usual creative process, often collaborating with musicians from his previous work. For the 29-year-old artist, this approach unlocked parts of himself he typically keeps hidden. “I’m really bad at difficult conversations. It’s really like anxiety,” he admits. “I go insular and go into my room or little home studio, and I just feel so confident writing it because in my brain, it’s like, I write so many songs. When it gets to the end of that process and I have these songs that are so great because they’re so emotional, that’s when it kind of hits where I’m like, I should put this out because it’s come from a real place.” The EP’s influences are evident, with Amy Winehouse’s soulful doo-wop and Frank Ocean’s pitched-up vocals casting a long shadow. However, Beyoncé remains a major idol—so much so that Harison addresses her directly on “Panic Room,” describing how his failed relationship tainted his enjoyment of her 2022 masterpiece “Renaissance.” “This is one of the realest songs I’ve ever written. I literally couldn’t listen to ‘Renaissance’ for ages because this stupid man ruined it for me, we would listen to it all the time,” he says. “I sat down and was like, you’ve made me hate so many things. You made me hate restaurants and cafes that I now can’t go to. But the worst thing is that I can’t listen to Beyoncé right now. And I hate that.”

“Ghosted” marks another milestone for Harison, who has steadily built a reputation as one of R&B’s most promising newcomers. Hailing from Southampton, England, he cultivated his love for music early while enduring the hardship of growing up in an abusive household. He recalls living in a safe house with his mother and siblings when he first heard Adele’s “Chasing Pavements,” a song that inspired him to embrace songwriting. At 13, he won a local singing competition and used the prize money to buy a MacBook, which he used to start recording. Songwriting became a way to process the challenges at home. “I didn’t hear any songs that were about what I was going through as a kid. When I was able to get into the music industry and given a chance as an artist, I always wanted to write that story. Because it’s such an important part of why I write music.” His breakthrough came with a performance of “Ego Talkin” on Colors in 2023, which went viral and led to a spot on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and his debut EP “Lost a Friend.” That project has since amassed over 30 million streams on Spotify, led by the duet “Homies” with Tiana Major9. Notably, the Colors platform, known for its minimalist video aesthetic, has launched numerous emerging artists including Rosalía and Daniel Caesar.

Despite his current relationship, Harison remains largely inspired by heartbreak, finding attempts at writing “joyful” songs to sound “cringe.” For his debut full-length album, he plans to shift focus back to the themes and challenges of his upbringing. “That part of my life has influenced so much of who I am now, how I behave, how I love,” he reflects. “It’s influenced so much of me as an adult and I always wanted to write that story and how I got here and how that influences the way I see life now.” For now, his immediate focus is on a performance at Los Angeles’ Masonic Lodge on June 4. The venue, a historic theater in the Hollywood Hills known for its intimate acoustics, has hosted artists like Lana Del Rey and Bon Iver. Harison sees this as part of maintaining the natural momentum of his career. “This feels like a beautiful moment and I’m really glad I get to tell this story,” he says. “But does it feel like do or die? No. It does feel very exciting, and I think it’ll be really rewarding when I know that hopefully the hard work paid off.”