Hayley Orrantiais opening up about her personal heartbreak.
The 25-year-old part-Mexican American singer and The Goldbergs star has released an autobiographical new song “If I Don’t,” which highlights the struggles at the end of a relationship.
The soaring ballad features whispered vocals from Orrantia, whowas a member of Lakoda Rayne, a country pop girl group assembled by Paula Abdul during the first season of The X Factor,as well ashand-snapped rhythms and confessional lyrics.
Orrantia penned the tune with Robyn Collinsand Mike Miller. She says she wrote “If I Don’t” during her “denial phase” towards the end of a relationship when she discovered an ex was lying to her. All the while, she ignored the red flags wanting to save face instead. These struggles are evident in the song’s biting lyrics:
“I could tell you it’s over/ But then it’d be over/ And some things are better unsaid,” she sings.
“It was an out-of-body experience for me seeing this video come to life,” Orrantia told Billboard. “This music is a reflection of my breakup and to have that played out again in front of me was eerie. I struggled finding a director who really understood the vision and meaning behind the song. Then I met with Emma Higginsand she just knew exactly where to take it. I found it important to have a female direct the video as it translates more honestly from story to script to screen because it is told by a woman.”
In the video, Orrantia relives a strained relationship with the help of fellow actor Spencer Neville, who plays her ex on screen. A longtime friend of hers, Orrantia says she appreciated the familiarity of working alongside Neville while channeling a deeply emotional time in her life.
“If I Don’t” is featured on Orrantia’s latest EP, The Way Out, released in May. When she’s not working on music, Orrantia plays the role of Erica Goldberg on the ABC comedy series The Goldbergs.
