By Julia Sergison
CannaCurious had the opportunity to chat with artist Haley Harkin, a Texas-born and now Colorado-based singer of, what she calls, “folk medicine music.” Haley’s warm, healing songs come to her naturally, allowing for her own self-expression while simultaneously offering her listeners the chance for connection. We talked about the role that cannabis plays in supporting her creative and musical process.
Haley has been musically inclined for as long as she can remember. She was active in her school choir and played guitar since she was a teen; she recounts her mother singing around the house growing up, and of course, and being born and raised in Austin, Texas – the Live Music Capital of the World – Haley plays, as she says, “pretty much anything I can get my hands on.” (Yes, even picking up the notoriously difficult sārangī with determination to add it to her lengthy list of instruments.)
Despite a lifelong love of music, Haley’s only been playing for live audiences for the past 12 years. She got her start in Austin before relocating to Fort Collins, Colorado about three years ago. At first, it might seem ironic that Haley left Austin to find more musical opportunity, but she finds the market there too saturated. “Here in Fort Collins, I feel unique,” she says fondly about her home. This community, combined with easy access to mountains, nature, and homegrown cannabis, have helped her own self-development which helps create more authentic music.
In her ideal artistic environment, Haley gets comfortable at home and opts for a few puffs of sativa strains grown by her partner, Rodney. A controlled dose of cannabis in this form helps Haley optimize her creativity, as opposed to other forms of use. “I smoke and give it direction to avoid becoming a couch potato,” Haley laughs as she tells me why edibles aren’t typically her active, creative cannabis of choice. Using cannabis with intentionality helps her deepen her own meditation state when making music.
I wondered, if with such intentional use, Haley had ideas in mind about where the songs would go when she begins creating. As is traditional with many folk artists, Haley doesn’t write songs, but rather she receives them. “I don’t write them, they just come to me. Sometimes reading can help prompt it;” she tells me. “Cannabis helps get in touch with my emotions.” With her emotions unlocked and her environment safe and cozy, Haley can get lost in music for hours and hours.
It’s an incredibly personal process, and yet there’s so much in Haley’s words and rhythms for her listeners to relate to. This is where the folk genre fuses with medicine music for a new remedy. “[My songs] are for people doing inner work to heal themselves,” Haley says. You can feel the healing in her music, too. Despite the songs emerging from something in her own life, Haley finds that staying true to her sense of self leads to less insecurity when creating and it’s that confidence that draws people in. The confidence is palpable.
Of course, Haley’s confidence has steadily built over her years devoted to her craft. When asked what advice she has for her younger self, or someone like her younger self, she said “Just do it! Music has personally healed me so much. We will heal ourselves when we share that. It’s vulnerable and it’s scary. Start doing it and put yourself out there. Follow your heart and whatever you’re looking for will follow. What we have is a gift and it’s your duty to share it.”
Give yourself a spoonful of Haley’s medicine and the gift of her art by checking her out on Spotify, SoundCloud, or YouTube. My personal recommendation is Patience (and one of Haley’s very own top three favorites!). Follow her on Instagram and TikTok for two releases coming up this summer: Wings of a Sparrow, out on June 16th, and a new studio recording of Ebb & Flow coming in July.
