Have you ever had an ex-boyfriend (or ex-girlfriend!) who treated you horribly, but no matter how hard you try, you just can't bring yourself to hate them?
Yeah, me neither. LOL!
Clearly, then, best new indie pop act Sophia Gripari is a better person than you and I will ever be listening to her latest single “Hate You but I Don't.”
Written about that former lover who you JUST CAN'T GET OVER, DAMMIT, “Hate You but I Don't” is a transcendent, rapturous piece of pop music you need in your life right about ASAP.
Hailing from Britain but now based in Boston, Sophia Gripari proves herself to be a pop visionary in the making on “Hate You But I Don't.” A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Sophia's formal education has no doubt played a part in her ability to craft dazzling melodies that very nearly snatch the breath from your lungs. Some things just can't be taught, however: That way Gripari anchors the song with snapping, ticking beats, before turning it ascendant with a breathy vocal that climbs to the heavens like Jacob's Ladder? Yeah, no degree or diploma can instruct you how to do THAT.
Source
And then, of course, there's the lyrical content. Far from your average breakup song, Sophia announces herself as an artist with a thoughtful sense of nuance on “Hate You but I Don't.” Written about the struggle of moving on from someone who behaved objectively awfully toward you, this is a song that plays with ideas of conflict and cognitive dissonance in a way the average pop star can only dream of.
But enough of what I think. Here's what Sophia had to tell us about “Hate You but I Don't”:
“I wrote this song back in January with some of my favorite co-writers. We had just got back from a writing retreat in the desert and wanted to continue with the creative flow that we had sparked in each other. The inspiration behind 'Hate You but I Don't' was really that irritating moment when you realize you're no longer the one in control of how you feel, knowing that you should let go and hate that person, but something about them just won't let you. I was feeling that way at the time, and my co-writers had also felt that way before so the song came to us very naturally. It was important to me to achieve a certain level of bittersweetness between the production, lyrics, and melodies. After quarantine was enforced, I asked a friend of mine in Holland to finish off the production and we ended up sending it back and forth for about a week, until it reached a point where we felt the message of the song was supported by every single production choice.”
While the current global situation has left most us feeling like dark days lie ahead, the future is undoubtedly bright for Sophia Gripari. As we eagerly anticipate more music from this rising pop songstress, then, find me over here listening to “Hate You but I Don't” on repeat while I angrily stalk my ex's Facebook.
Source
Jess Grant is a frustrated writer hailing from London, England. When she isn't tasked with disentangling her thoughts from her brain and putting them on paper, Jess can generally be found listening to The Beatles, or cooking vegetarian food.