Onoleigh’s New Single ‘Make It Hurt’ Hits Close to Home for the Rising Country Artist [Exclusive Premiere]
Exactly 45 minutes before Onoleigh's glam team arrived to get her camera-ready to shoot the music video for her new single "Make It Hurt" in downtown Nashville, the country singer broke up with her longtime boyfriend.
She still can't believe it. "It wasn't even supposed to be that type of conversation," the 23-year-old tells Taste of Country just one day after the sudden breakup.
"I was on the phone with him and then all of a sudden, it was just like, ‘Maybe this isn't going anywhere.' And he was like, 'all right, you want to break up?’" she continues, "And I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ And then I was like, ‘Well, I've got to go record a music video. [Pauses] I channeled some real emotions on that video, that's for sure."
That emotional music video is still TBD, but Taste of Country has the exclusive premiere of "Make It Hurt" on Thursday (Aug. 26). It's a song that hits closer than ever before now.
"He was so mature about it," Onoleigh says of her now ex-boyfriend and their breakup. "I sort of wanted him to be a little mean, you know? It's just one of those things where he's great, but we've got to move forward and never settle — that's kind of the biggest thing with me."
The song has been on quite a journey already. Onoleigh's team found it while searching for one that would fit perfectly for her unique voice, but she didn't know at the time that the song was written by some of country music's biggest superstars: Maren Morris, Rhett Akins and songwriter Chris DeStefano.
"I loved the song immediately and could really relate to the song, but then they told me about the writers on the song and I was like, 'Shut up!'" Onoleigh recalls. She grew up on the music of Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, but only a few short years ago she was planning to become a middle school guidance counselor in Missouri.
"I truly feel that this was supposed to happen and this song kind of came my way for many reasons," she says, talking about how she found her way into country music. She's hopeful that "Make It Hurt" will hit as hard with listeners as it does with her.
“I do hope that a lot of my music will be able to help people," Onoleigh says. The song is the second single from her upcoming debut EP.
"I hope these songs make people realize that their feelings are real. Country music can be anything. And some people relate more to the beer drinking side of things or the party side of things — and then there are those songs that are amazing when you're driving in your car with the windows down in the summer with all your best friends. But I think there's this type of vulnerability in a song like 'Make It Hurt' that I love and that can help people."
50 Essential 2000s Country Songs: