New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Elektra recording artist JC Stewart has shared his brand new single "I Need You To Hate Me". Set to acoustic guitar and understated beats, the song's verses document the story of a faltering relationship. And as it explodes into life with its soaring hook, the lyrics build dramatically as JC suggests that there's no turning back: "I need you take hate me, say it to my face, I'll go."
Written alongside the song's producer Matt Schwartz (Yungblud) and Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk (Dua Lipa), the track was inspired by the same break-up that JC explored in his earlier single "Have You Had Enough Wine?". "There was a moment where we were just going through the motions," he recalls. "And I was like, 'Instead of doing this, I'd rather that you hated me because there'd be something more to cling on to.' The vibe was that we were really drifting apart." .
"I Need You To Hate Me" follows JC's recent single "Lying That You Love Me", which was released just before the Pop singer-songwriter suddenly found himself going viral on a global scale. Bored during lockdown, JC filmed his quarantine-themed take on the
Friends theme "I'll Be There For You", singing "It looks like we'll be inside for a year/ Or it might only be a day, a week or months it's really not clear." It exploded after Jennifer Aniston shared it on Instagram. Suddenly the clip was featured on ABC's GOOD MORNING AMERICA and NBC's TODAY. Nina Dobrev also shared it with her 20 million followers as it raced to 5 million views.
It was a fun moment, but also one that reveals something about JC's personality. On one hand he's a quick-witted, heart-and-soul character who counts
Lewis Capaldi and
Niall Horan as friends, but his songs possess a heart-on-sleeve candour which resulted in his earning the nickname "Professional Sadboy".
The fourth generation of JC Stewarts in THE FAMILY tree, the young musician was destined to continue THE FAMILY grocery business of the same name in Northern Ireland, but instead deviated on the road toward Pop stardom. Later, a chance encounter with
Lewis Capaldi at a party in Hollywood took his music career to the next level.
Feeling at odds with their surroundings, the pair decided to duck out for a beer in a local bar. That swift pint turned into an impromptu middle-of-the-night writing session in which "
Hollywood", from Capaldi's chart-topping debut album, was written.
His own career continues to ascend following recent stand-out singles including "The Wrong Ones", "Pick Up Your Phone", and "
Bones". Meanwhile, touring highlights have included shows with Lewis Capaldi, Lauv, Anne-Marie, Maisie Peters, and
Freya Ridings as well as an MTV Push event alongside Yungblud, Raye, and Lily Moore. Apple
Music also tipped him as a future star when they named him New Artist of the Week.
