Caleb Hearn Announces “We’re Getting Older” EP Out 9/30 via Nettwerk | Shares New Single “Friend Right Now”
July 7, 2022 BY Jason Currell
Emerging Nashville-via-North Carolina singer-songwriter Caleb Hearn arrives with his latest single “Friend Right Now” along with the announcement of his upcoming EPWe’re Getting Older out September 30th via Nettwerk. The 22-year-old artist belies his age penning tender tracks at the narrative crossroads of relationships, missed opportunities, and the lessons to be had from young love. “Friend Right Now” is accompanied by a jovial music video directed by Ruth Chapa.
On the surface, “Friend Right Now” caters to a soft indie-pop vibe with mellifluous vocals and warm melodies. Digging deeper into the narrative, Caleb Hearn is filled with mixed emotions pertaining to the disappointment of landing in the “friend zone” with that special person. However, the young artist soldiers on knowing that what’s best for her is also what’s best for him.
Speaking of the track, Caleb Hearn shares: “‘Friend Right Now’” takes listeners through a recent experience of mine when I thought things would work out with someone but instead got friend-zoned. Right before I was going to meet up with a girl, she told me that she just wanted me to be her ‘friend right now.’ I talked about this experience during a session later that week, and we decided to make it into a song about learning to be okay with what she needed. We worked on the chorus first, and then I mumbled what she said to me, and we knew immediately that ‘friend right now’ would be the hook to the song.”
Caleb expresses this about his music video: “I wanted the music video for ‘Friend Right Now’ to be funny, upbeat, and a little bit corny… we wanted to have a very retro themed production, so we picked a very 80’s style room to film in, a pool, and an older car. The inspiration for the video concept was derived from all the things that I would do if I were to get friend zoned. The director Ruth completely understood my vision and brought the feeling of being friend zoned to life.”
WATCH + SHARE “FRIEND RIGHT NOW”
The We’re Getting Older EP takes the listener through the complex stages of heartbreak–from the moment you realize you’ve lost the person you love to learning how to deal with the pain that follows. “The EP was made over the past six months, with a lot of help from the people who know me best,” says Caleb. “I was going through a lot of change in my own life, dealing with heartbreak, and having to learn how to be happy on my own. It has really acted as therapy for myself. As I was able to finally pour out exactly how I was feeling into the music.”
On September 28, Caleb will head out with labelmate and fellow songwriter Rosie Darling on a string of West Coast dates, starting in Seattle, WA.
“Friend Right Now” is available on DSPs here: https://calebhearn.ffm.to/friendrightnow
Check out and take the friend zone quiz that accompanies the song: https://calebhearn.netlify.app
“I’m Not Crying You Are” Tour Dates w/ Rosie Darling:
September 28 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
September 29 – Portland, OR @ Mission Theater
October 2 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room @ The Observatory
October 3 – San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room @ House Of Blues San Diego
October 4 – Los Angeles, CA @ Peppermint Club
October 6 – San Francisco, CA @ Brick + Mortar
More Info:
Moving in a similar ebb and flow, Caleb Hearn’s songs play out like a story recounted to an old buddy or trusted confidant. The North Carolina-born and Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and artist imparts an intimate level of detail upon his music. Lyrics double as snapshots of unfiltered, candid conversations usually never meant to be shared on this scale—yet he shares them. This approach has cemented him as a rising phenomenon with nearly 100 million streams and 1.4M+ TikTok fans, as well as acclaim from the likes of American Songwriter and many others.
Caleb emerged out of the tiny town (population: 10K) of Mount Airy, NC in 2020. He struck a chord with a devout audience on TikTok through his open-hearted honesty on the likes of the breakout “Always Be.” Meant to pay homage to a friend who tragically passed away, he re-upped the original as “Always Be 2.0” on DSPs, eclipsing 16.3 million Spotify streams and counting. On its heels, 2021’s “Brown Eyes, Brown Hair” maintained Caleb’s momentum with 17.8 million Spotify streams and growing. Plus, he collaborated with Jillian Rossi, Haywood, and Sad Alex, to name a few. Simultaneously, he incited the applause of Lyrical Lemonade, Mud, and EARMILK who praised “under the weather” [with Jillian Rossi] as “an important and affecting release.”
Now, Caleb opens up more than ever on his 2022 We’re Getting Older EP via Nettwerk. “In all of these songs, it seems like I’m talking to somebody else,” he affirms. “When I’m recording at home, it’s even more personal. I try to put myself in the headspace of a song before I track it. I even talk out the lyrics, conversating them. To me, this EP feels like I’m singing to another person. It’s extremely honest.” In the lead up to We’re Getting Older, he endured a breakup, traded Mount Airy for Nashville, and stole away to Los Angeles to write. Along this journey, he has creatively and personally evolved and doesn’t intend for either to cease.
