Hunter Hayes Finds Freedom In New Single, ‘The One That Got Away’
The lead single from his forthcoming album, 'Red Sky (Part II).'
Hitmaker Hunter Hayes is back, and he’s kicking 2021 off with a new single, “The One That Got Away.” The up-tempo, pop-leaning song celebrates the singer’s newfound liberation from toxic situations in his life.
“I feel like the one that got away / Don’t know how I escaped / Breathing better cause I’m better now / In the middle of the night / Made it to the other side / You can run but you can’t catch me now I’m the one that got away,” Hayes sings over a heart-racing production, complete with anthemic drum beats.
“I wrote ‘The One That Got Away’ after having a certain chapter in my life end abruptly. At first, I saw that change as a bad thing, even though I’d played a part in the ending,” the 29-year-old shares in a statement. “The song came from realizing that certain things I was holding onto so tightly were slowly destroying me, and from feeling weightless and free once I finally let go.”
He adds, “I wanted to write something that people could get a speeding ticket to and feel so lucky that they’ve gotten away from whatever wasn’t good for them—whether that be a town or a job or a relationship or whatever else.”
This newfound freedom is also on full display in the song’s accompanying music video. The clip, directed by Ryan Sheehy, was shot in Los Angeles, and features various scenes of Hayes ruminating in a dark stairway and cruising down a backroad in a carefree fashion.
“The One That Got Away” is the lead single off Hayes’ upcoming fifth album, Red Sky (Part II). It follows 2019’s Wild Blue (Part 1), which included the pensive “Dear God” as well as “One Good Reason,” “One Shot” and “Heartbreak.”
Watch the music video for “The One That Got Away” above, and listen to more new country releases on our New Nashville playlist below.
