Grammy-nominated artist Hunter Hayes recently shared “Sober,” the most recent song from his upcoming album Red Sky, set to drop this spring.
“Tell me that I’m worth it/ Beg me to stay over/ Hold me like you want it/ Kiss me when you’re sober/ You say it’s complicated/ And I said I wanted closure/ All I really want is you to kiss me when you’re sober,” sings Hayes in the track.
Watch the official music video for “Sober” below.
“‘Sober’ speaks to confidence and self-worth because I want to be loved as I am, without pretending to be anything else. It’s not about drinking really, it’s about many different forms of ‘intoxication,’” the singer shared of his new song.
The Louisiana-native’s newest single comes on the heels of his timeless song, “Friend,” dropped in October 2022 and penned by Hayes alongside Rollo and Dan Gleyzer. “Sober,” “Friend,” “Someone Will,” “Could’ve Been You” and “Missing You” are just a taste of Hunter’s forthcoming project, Red Sky. As the first track from the album to drop, “Missing You” initiated Hayes’ dive into his new era of music, bringing a fresh and familiar sound to listeners.
“What I loved about ‘Missing You’ is that it has elements of familiarity,” shared Hayes in an interview with Music Mayhem last June. “It has familiar sounds and familiar techniques and familiar ideas, musically production wise, but there are also some fresh things that I’m doing for the first time on ‘Missing You.’ And it’s kind of just a soft introduction to some of the other things that people will hear on the album and lyrically.”
Hayes described the transition from his last album, Wild Blue, to Red Sky. “Wild Blue is the optimistic dreamer, looking out of a window and dreaming about adventure and Red Sky was very much the actual adventure. It has been my diary, my journal alongside a very adventurous part of my life.”
The “Wanted” singer hinted at surprises on Red Sky, but wants fans to discover them as music is released. “I want them to hear every song as it comes out and understand, oh, this has been in his heart and his soul… and these sounds, these production things have been in my world for a long time. We’ve weeded out the stuff that doesn’t feel authentic.”
He attributes that authenticity to the journey he’s been on for the past two years, adding, “The biggest adventure has been figuring myself out and learning myself and applying that to how I make music, how we market the music, how I talk about it and, and what I wanna do with it moving forward.”
Hayes surprised fans with the announcement of two more songs from his upcoming project: “Normal” and “Lonely Loves Me,” due on February 9.
“I want to release ANOTHER set of TWO NEW SONGS. Hear Me Out – Valentine’s Day (for me) can sometimes create a false sense of loneliness. So, I want to release the two most vulnerable songs from Red Sky for anyone who may relate to these songs as a reminder 1-you’re not alone 2-it gets better,” he captioned an Instagram post.
Hunter has earned more than two billion on-demand global streams to date since his debut album dropped and has secured six gold and platinum-certified singles.
He has hit the stage alongside megastars including Taylor Swift and has embarked on his fair share of headlining sold-out shows throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia. With more than 50 award nominations and wins under his belt, Hayes looks towards a successful 2023.
