Already a Top 30 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, gnash’s “i hate u, i love u (featuring Olivia O’Brien)” is poised to enter the Top 30 this week’s Mediabase pop radio airplay chart.
Amid its US rise, the song’s featured vocalist and writer debuts a single of her own.
Olivia O’Brien this week launched “Trust Issues” on all major digital platforms.
“It’s really empowering for girls and anyone who doesn’t want to be treated like they’re less than,” says O’Brien of the new song. “It’s for anyone who finds it hard to obtain self-worth without the approval of another person.”
O’Brien’s performance on “Trust Issues” should click with fans of “i hate u, i love u,” regardless of whether they were more drawn to the gnash or Olivia O’Brien portions. There is a decidedly rhythmic approach to O’Brien’s singing style (somewhat similar to gnash’s work on “i hate u”), but it does not at all constrain or diminish her alluring voice.
On his “Take It Back,” Ed Sheeran declared that he was “not a rapper [but] a singer with a flow.” Such a description is a reasonably fair description of O’Brien’s vocal approach on “Trust Issues.”
With O’Brien’s stellar vocal performance and the song’s sharp, yet honest and human lyrics, “Trust Issues,” while not necessarily an obvious radio smash, definitely adds credibility to the notion that O’Brien is an artist to watch.
Listen above.
