Guernsey singer says drum and bass helped ‘save’ her

A singer-songwriter has been opening up about how music has helped her through mental health issues.

Harriet Laws, known as HAZE, has released a new liquid drum and bass track called ‘Hope is a Prayer’.

The 26-year-old said she discovered the genre as a teenager listening to it in nightclubs in Guernsey but music became more important to her as she moved away from the island.

She said her new song was inspired by her experience of living with bipolar disorder and music “helped save me in many ways”.

Harriet was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 19-years-old and said she spent some of her early 20s on a psychiatric ward.

“It wasn’t until I became sick that I realised music and singing was an outlet for me.

“It wasn’t until then that I realised I have a way forward. I have hope here,” she said.

The singer said music continued to be a coping mechanism: “Whenever I feel sad or down, I start singing – I put pen to my pad, I start writing poetry, raps.”

Harriet said liquid drum and bass was “just very peaceful for me”.

She added: “I suppose I started music as a way to help me get out of the struggle and it helped save me in many ways.”

She told BBC Radio Guernsey her new track was about believing in yourself and what you love.

“I was reflecting on being in hospital and coming out of it and I believe… there is hope.

“If you just reach out, you find that one thing that gives you hope, whatever that might be.”

Now living in Brighton, Harriet said she moved to the UK at 18 and began writing music a couple of years ago.

She said: “Moving to the UK has brought about many new struggles for me that I’ve had to overcome.

“I’ve overcome this through music, but also by meeting new people in the industry.”

Harriet said she hoped to maintain a connection with Guernsey through future projects, including filming music videos on the island.