If Jack Harlow’s confidence is what makes him a star, it’s his vulnerability that makes him relatable.
“My overarching feeling, for some reason or another, has always been that this is going to work, I’m going to be huge,” Harlow told FN. “But that’s been threaded by small moments of self-doubt.”
The “Whats Poppin” hitmaker doesn’t shy away from sharing his vulnerabilities, and on his 2019 record “River Road,” the then-burgeoning artist made mention of his weariness of ever becoming a rap star.
Last month, Harlow sat down with FN at Means Street Studios in Atlanta for his cover shoot in the July issue of the magazine. When asked what his biggest fear was, the music star confessed it was not living up to his full potential, and he admitted the last time he doubted himself was “probably a few days ago.”
Fortunately for Harlow, those moments don’t last long.
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“I definitely have moments where I’m like, what am I doing wrong? And even though I’ve made it, I still wonder how far I can take it, if I’m cut from the right cloth. But everything is fleeting,” he said. “I feel like the st, like no one could fk with me, but that only lasts so long. And the flip side of that is the doubt only lasts so long.”
Harlow added that his periods of self-doubt make the wins that much more special.
“I had a session with Timbaland a few months ago, and the conversations we were having and the belief he was showing me and the things he was saying to me, I went home that night feeling very seen and like I was recognized for who I thought I was,” he said.
Harlow, a longtime New Balance fan who has worked with the sportswear brand on several campaigns, is opening up about his mental well-being at a time when society as a whole has begun to shine a brighter light on the issue. After a year of dealing with the traumas of the pandemic, Americans are now coping with new anxieties as companies bring workers back to the office, introducing drastic lifestyle changes once again.
Recently, footwear industry heavyweights have launched initiatives to normalize conversations about mental health and support the overall wellness of their employees.
For example, Foot Locker — which worked with New Balance on the Kawhi and 327 “Blue Raspberry” colorway campaign featuring Harlow — created a hub called “Live Well.Work Well” during the COVID-19 pandemic that emphasizes mental health support for all global offices. The hub, according to a company spokesperson, includes “tips on working remotely, finding work/life balance, coping with anxiety and offering technology support.”
