Harp emoji to be launched in the coming months

The first-ever harp emoji will be launched in the coming months, after a proposal – penned by filmmaker Theo Schear and renowned harpist Mary Lattimore – was approved by Unicode.

"The harp is an egregious omission to the musical instruments represented," the pair wrote in their 2019 proposal. "The harp is one of the most recognisable instruments worldwide."

Elsewhere in the proposal, they discuss the multiple ways the emoji could potentially be used:

"HARP emoji would be used primarily to represent the instrument, but also to represent anything angelic or Irish, which uses an image of a harp for a national emblem."

"Furthermore," they point out elsewhere, "angels are often depicted with harps, and we should all aspire to be angels."

The harp emoji is expected to be available either later this year, or in early 2025.

Schear had previously co-authored several other emoji – including Beaver and Mirror Ball – and reached out to Lattimore to endorse the harp proposal.

Over the course of a remarkable career, Lattimore has released five lauded studio albums, and has also performed and recorded with the likes of Thurston Moore, Sharon Van Etten, Weyes Blood, Jarvis Cocker, Kurt Vile, Meg Baird, Lol Tolhurst, Soccer Mommy and more.

“I was delighted when Theo asked me to endorse this emoji proposal," the Los Angeles-based musician told Pitchfork. "We harpists have been waiting for this moment!”

Other new emoji, approved by Unicode as part of Emoji 16.0, include: Face With Bags Under Eyes, Fingerprint, Leafless Tree, Root Vegetable, Shovel, Splatter, and the flag of Sark, one of the Channel Islands.

According to Unicode's website, "92% of the world's online population use emoji in their communications – and Unicode defines the characters that make those human connections possible." The Unicode Consortium welcome proposals from the public for new emoji.