Hayley Orrantia Finds Her Happy Place on ‘Nights and Weekends’
'The Goldbergs' actress bounces back after her reflective EP, 'The Way Out.'
An artist like Hayley Orrantia can certainly wear a lot of different hats — she is a triple threat singer, songwriter and actress who plays Erica on ABC sitcom The Goldbergs, after all. But her new single “Nights and Weekends” (out today) still represents a surprising about-face.
Full of feel-good energy and carefree spirit, the danceable track is a tribute to letting down your hair and leaving the rat-race behind — even if it’s just a few hours on a Tuesday night. The bubbly track was written by Orrantia, Brandon Day, Robyn Collins and Alex DeCosta, and its theme might seem on the surface like a natural fit for a 25 year old. But it follows something completely different … her pain and regret filled EP, The Way Out, which reflected on her experience with an ex who betrayed her trust and literally robbed her blind.
“I love having the opportunity to make music that represents each stage of life I go through, whether that be good, bad, happy or sad,” Orrantia tells Sounds Like Nashville. “The Way Out was a very difficult and emotional time for me but I am so glad I was able to share my experiences. Now, I am so excited to be transitioning into this new phase of music.”
Consistently upbeat and rooted in a desire to just have fun, Orrantia says “Nights and Weekends” reveals the positive place she’s been in since releasing The Way Out in May.
“I learned a lot from my unfortunate experience — that you have to be careful who you bring into your life and surround yourself with,” she explains. “That being said, I’ve made a lot of changes to my friend group and made healthier choices in my life that have made me all around a happier person. ‘Nights and Weekends’ is coming out at the perfect time when it feels like there’s so much about life to celebrate and look forward to.”
The track’s extra-bright presentation makes it a worthy soundtrack to that point of view. Built on crisp beats and Orrantia’s effortless vocal flow, it lands right in the heart of the modern country sound — meaning, sometimes you’re not even sure what genre you’re listening to. And according to Orrantia, that’s no accident.
“’Nights and Weekends’ is MY perfect combination of country and pop,” she says. “Being so influenced by both genres, I have a hard time finding a nice medium to that, but this song just feels good to me. It’s got a lot of bass I can dance to and quickly-paced lyrics that keep it interesting, but I LOVE a good guitar solo and the lyrics are definitely more in the country vein.”
It might be a perfect fit for where she’s at now, but there’s more new music coming from Orrantia soon. She plans to roll out new tunes as she continues working on The Goldbergs, with season 7 premiering September 25 on ABC.
