Beartooth and HARDY delivered the live debut of their fan-favorite song, “The Better Me.” The rock band and country rocker joined forces during Beartooth’s headlining set at Marathon Music Works in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, March 13.
Live Debut Of “The Better Me”
During Beartooth’s energetic performance, frontman Caleb Shomo surprised the sold out crowd with a special guest appearance from HARDY to perform the collaborative track. Luckily fans and Beartooth tour videographer documented the memorable performance and shared it to social media.
“It finally happened…🤯” Beartooth captioned the clip on social media. The clip features Beartooth and HARDY performing the tune live in Nashville.
“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for so long,” Beartooth collectively admitted in the video overlay text.
Beartooth and HARDY – “The Better Me”
Beartooth and HARDY released the track in September of 2023 via Red Bull Records. The tune appears on Beartooth’s latest album, The Surface, and serves as their first-ever collaboration.
“I’ve always been a Beartooth fan,” HARDY previously shared. “I’m excited we finally got to do something together, and I’m honored to be part of their new record.”
“The Better Me” brings inspiration to listeners as Beartooth lead singer Caleb Shomo, who has never been shy about sharing his struggles with mental health and self-image, sets his heart on becoming the best version of himself. After an introduction chorus, he takes the first lines of the song laying out the tomorrow is another day kind of theme, sharing his wishes to turn his life around before HARDY sings about falling into the same troubled routine despite not wanting to suffer.
“How many times have I said I was gonna be someone / When I get back onto my feet? / Tomorrow, I’m gonna make changes / ‘Cause today I can barely speak,” the two artists sing together throughout the uptempo chorus, which features thrashing drums and heavy electric guitar. “I know how to pull myself out / And it’s gonna hurt like Hell to set myself free / Just say it out loud, today’s the day I stop fu–ing around / And be the better me / (And be the better me, oh).”
Story Behind The Song
Shomo shared the meaning behind the track in a press release saying, “There are times where we feel like there is a way better version of ourselves somewhere deep inside that we need to find and bring back to the forefront of our lives.”
“This song is about going through the things that brought me to that conclusion. Simply put, I made a choice to be a better me,” he added.
“The Better Me” is the latest offering from Beartooth’s upcoming fifth studio album, The Surface. The tune is also the only collaboration featured on the forthcoming project, which includes 11 tracks. And while HARDY has been chosen as the first artist to duet with Beartooth, he is no stranger to delving into the rock realm. Despite earning massive success in country music, the Philadelphia, Mississippi native has proven that several times, leaning heavily into both genres.
HARDY Dabbles In Rock Music
In 2023, he released a half rock half country album entitled the mockingbird & THE CROW, which topped the US Billboard Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts. The album also debuted in the Top 5 in all genres on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. He also is working on his first full-length rock project, which will feature his latest releases “Quit!” and “ROCKSTAR.”
And while HARDY fits right in with the rockers, he previously shared he received some pointers from some of the genre’s best, including Shomo, particularly when he was nailing down his screaming parts for his hit, “Sold Out.”
“There’s a trick to it. It’s not as loud or as harsh on your throat as you would think,” he told Billboard. “I kept trying to get better at it, and I had a bit of a conversation with Caleb Shomo from Beartooth about it and then Hunter Madison from Hunt the Dinosaur. When I wrote ‘Sold Out,’ I had just gotten off the road and was exhausted. My voice was nearly gone, and I thought, ‘I could do the scream really good. It’s better when your voice is raspy. I did, and it’s been a thing ever since.”
HARDY as well as Beartooth, which also consists of guitarists Zach Huston and Will Deely, bassist Oshie Bichar, and drummer Connor Denis, have both achieve success on Active Rock Radio.
“The Better Me” follows Beartooth’s previous releases “Riptide,” “Sunshine!,” ”Might Love Myself,” and “Doubt Me,” which combined have garnered tens of millions streams to date.
