Cassadee Pope has new music out, and it’s definitely turning heads.
The season 3 winner of The Voice‘s latest song, “Almost There,” is a guitar-heavy release all about being intimate with a partner in a not-so-vanilla sort of way.
The song is another return to pop rock form for Pope, who started her career in the band Hey Monday. It’s also perhaps her most risqué release to date, with lyrics including “I love misbehaving / Bad things are fun when we’re naked / Pull my hair to show you care / I’m almost there.”
Listen To Cassadee Pope’s New Song “Almost There” Below
Inspired By Her Longtime Boyfriend Sam Palladio
Pope told PEOPLE that the song was inspired by her boyfriend, actor and musician Sam Palladio, and the respectful relationship the two share.
“‘Almost There’ was written because I am in a very loving, very respectful relationship,” she said. “We’ve been together for about five and a half years, and I wanted to write a love song, but I also wanted it to be a little naughty and a little edgy. So I came up with the idea to kind of give a love song a dark edge, and I’m really proud of being able to strike that balance.”
Pope admitted that she was nervous to play the track for her mom, but the reaction was positive.
“It’s a little bit risqué, so I was very, very excited that my mom was like, ‘That’s a lot, but I love the song, and I think people are gonna love it, too,” she recalled.
Pope and Palladio began dating in late 2017, having met “a long time” prior, according to Pope. “And then, gosh I think it was December of last year, we decided to take our dogs to the dog park … and we hit it off!” she told E! News in 2018.
Follows “RSVP” Collaboration With Levi Hummon
“Almost There” is another glimpse at an upcoming project from Pope, which she alluded to in a December interview with PEOPLE promoting her Levi Hummon collaboration, “RSVP.”
“I’m moving away from the country space and going more into pop rock where I came from initially,” Pope reflected. “I’m glad that [‘RSVP’] kind of straddles those lines. It’s a great kind of bridge for me between what I did before and where I’m headed with my next solo project.”
Authentic New Project On The Way
In 2012, Pope won Season 3 of The Voice as a member of Blake Shelton’s team and began releasing country music soon after. Ultimately, she decided to follow her passion and return to her original sound, which she’s been doing with songs like “People That I Love Leave,” which she released in April.
“This next project has an authenticity that I’ve never been able to tap into before now. Pop and rock music is such a staple in my creativity, so to fully return back to that genre feels special and like coming back home,” she shared in a press release upon the song’s release. “I wanted to lead with a high energy, uptempo song. I love jumping around on stage and always have since Hey Monday. This song gives people a pretty clear picture of where I’m headed sonically and energetically.”
In a March TikTok, she reflected on her career journey with a written message as her song “Wasting All These Tears” played in the background.
“Hearing this song reminds me of how far I’ve come,” she wrote. “There’s a new chapter ahead, and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Thank you for sticking with me all these years through all the changes, pivots, and hurdles. Moving into a totally different genre would feel scary, but it’s one I’ve been in before and have never stopped loving. Stoked to be coming back home to pop/rock. Let’s do this.”
