Hailey Hermida is stepping into a heavier side of her sound with her new single “blink twice”, a hard pop-rock track that explores the painful breakdown of a friendship when jealousy, insecurity, and controlling behaviour enter the picture. With a blend of weighty rock instrumentation, infectious melodies, and emotionally charged vocals, the track brings a sharp intensity to Hermida’s growing pop-rock sound. This acts as the follow-up to her previous single, titled “OPPosites“.
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Rather than focusing on the end of a romantic relationship, Hermida turns her attention towards a different kind of heartbreak. “blink twice” looks at what happens when a friendship is gradually pushed aside because of someone else’s relationship, leaving one person hurt by circumstances that could potentially have been avoided through honest communication and trust. The track has been written by Riley Urick, Hermida, and Onique “Sparrow” Williams, with Urick acting as the producer.
“‘blink twice’ was written about how jealousy can make others lose sight of the people who genuinely care about them,” Hailey Hermida explains.
The song developed from Hermida’s desire to explore an experience that she felt was not often discussed. While friendships can be just as meaningful as romantic relationships, the impact of losing one because of somebody else’s insecurity can be difficult to articulate, particularly when the person being pushed away has little control over the situation.
“When a perfectly healthy friendship ends due to a controlling partner, it becomes apparent just how easily fear and insecurity can change a relationship dynamic,” Hailey Hermida continues. “It’s hurtful to know you’re being blamed and paying the price for something that has nothing to do with you by someone who doesn’t even know you. The result is a broken friendship, leaving one side feeling frustrated and deeply hurt by something that was completely avoidable with direct communication. At its core, ‘blink twice’ is about what happens when trust is replaced by assumptions, insecurity, and an overbearing partner. It serves as a reminder that communication and trust are essential to every relationship.”
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A Song Built Around an Experience That Isn’t Often Discussed
For Hermida, the subject matter came before the music itself. The singer wanted “blink twice” to address the quieter ways friendships can disappear, particularly when another person’s romantic relationship becomes controlling.
“I wanted to write about something I hadn’t heard people talk about before: friendships that quietly end because someone else’s relationship becomes controlling,” she explains. “The idea grew from a conversation about how common this experience actually is, and as the writing developed, it became more about capturing the universal feeling of watching a friendship slowly disappear when it absolutely doesn’t have to.”
She continued by saying, “Lyrically, I think this is one of my most direct songs. I’m speaking honestly from my own feelings, and I wanted the message to come across clearly so listeners going through something similar can feel heard. I hope people find something in my music that they can’t get anywhere else. I try to write about experiences that aren’t always talked about, and I want listeners to feel like they’re hearing someone’s real perspective instead of something written to fit a trend.”
That willingness to explore less conventional subjects gives Hailey Hermida’s songwriting a distinctly personal foundation. Instead of limiting herself to the more familiar themes often associated with pop-rock, she draws from the situations and emotions that have shaped her own experiences, allowing those ideas to influence both the stories she tells and the way she presents them through music.
The track follows “OPPosites”, a fan-favourite song that helped establish the darker, high-energy pop-rock direction Hermida has been developing. Her music combines emotionally driven vocals with rock instrumentation, drawing from artists and bands including Paramore and Avril Lavigne.
Hailey Hermida Pushes Her Sound Further
While “OPPosites” helped establish the darker, high-energy side of Hailey Hermida’s pop-rock identity, “blink twice” takes that foundation into considerably heavier territory. The difference is particularly apparent in the instrumentation, with Hermida deliberately giving the new track a greater sense of weight and aggression while still retaining the melodic qualities that sit at the heart of her sound.
“I knew I wanted the instrumental to feel heavier than anything I’d done before,” Hermida shares.
That ambition led her towards some of the heavier artists that have influenced her, with Korn, Slipknot, and Breaking Benjamin providing inspiration for the track’s drums and guitar work. However, “blink twice” does not abandon the pop-rock elements that have become an important part of Hailey Hermida’s music. Instead, the heavier instrumentation is paired with catchy melodies and a more dynamic vocal performance, creating a contrast between the track’s forceful musical backdrop and its melodic side.
The vocals became another area where Hailey Hermida wanted to push herself. Rather than approaching the song with a single vocal style throughout, she experimented with different parts of her range, taking inspiration from an artist whose music has long demonstrated how aggression and vulnerability can coexist.
“I love how Avril Lavigne is aggressive, catchy, and vulnerable at the same time without feeling forced. I was interested in experimenting with my voice in ways I don’t normally do, moving between my head voice, mix, and chest voice.”
That willingness to experiment helps “blink twice” sit somewhere between the different sounds that have shaped Hailey Hermida as an artist. Her influences range from melodic pop-rock to much heavier forms of rock, and she is increasingly bringing those contrasting elements together rather than treating them as separate parts of her musical identity.
“I want people to hear that I’m not afraid to blend different influences together,” Hermida shares.
The Influences Behind Hailey Hermida’s Sound
There is a clear connection between the music Hailey Hermida discovered during her teenage years and the direction she is taking today. Her introduction to songwriting came at 13, but it was the experience of discovering rock and punk that helped shape the kind of artist she wanted to become. Attending punk shows, including performances organised by musicians who would later become her bandmates, gave Hermida an early understanding that rock is not simply about what happens in the recording studio. The energy of a live performance and the connection between an artist and their audience are equally important parts of the experience.
That perspective can be heard in the ambition behind “blink twice”, particularly in the way Hailey Hermida brings together influences that span different corners of rock. Deftones and Weezer sit alongside Paramore and Avril Lavigne among the artists who have helped shape her musical tastes, while the heavier inspiration behind her latest release extends to Korn, Slipknot, and Breaking Benjamin. Rather than choosing one of those sounds and staying within its boundaries, Hermida is using elements from each to create something that feels increasingly like her own musical space.
Her work with GRAMMY® nominated producer Riley Urick and co-songwriter Onique “Sparrow” Williams has also been part of that development. Both collaborators bring experience from working with artists including Usher and Britney Spears, while their work with Hailey Hermida has helped bring together the heavier instrumentation, pop sensibilities, and emotionally expressive vocals that define this stage of her music.
It makes “blink twice” feel less like an isolated experiment and more like another progression in an artistic identity that has been developing for several years. The heavier direction may be new territory for Hailey Hermida, but the combination of rock, melody, performance, and emotional honesty has been present in the foundations of her journey from the beginning.
Making Space for Honest Emotions
The emotional honesty running through “blink twice” is not something Hailey Hermida treats as separate from the music itself. For her, being able to write openly about difficult experiences is part of what makes songwriting worthwhile, and that outlook has been influenced by the women-led bands and artists she grew up listening to. Seeing women embrace the louder, more outspoken sides of their personalities gave Hermida the confidence to approach her own music without feeling the need to soften those emotions.
“I grew up listening to women who weren’t afraid to be loud, emotional, or opinionated, and that gave me confidence to write the music I write today,” Hermida stated.
That influence extends beyond her own creative identity, too. Hermida wants her platform to encourage other women to embrace the same freedom and individuality that she found in the artists who inspired her, while keeping authenticity at the centre of what she creates.
“I hope I can contribute by continuing to make music that’s authentic to who I am while supporting other women doing the same,” she mentioned.
It is that sense of honesty that ultimately brings the different elements of “blink twice” together. The song tackles a difficult situation without trying to make those emotions feel simple, while its combination of heavy rock, pop melodies, and expressive vocals gives Hailey Hermida space to explore those feelings with the intensity they demand.
“I want people to feel like they’re allowed to have complicated emotions and speak honestly about them,” Hermida said. “If one of my songs makes someone feel less alone, then my music’s doing what I want it to do.”
With “blink twice”, Hailey Hermida is continuing to develop a sound that refuses to be neatly contained by one genre. The heavier direction builds on the pop-rock foundations of her earlier work, while the song’s subject matter demonstrates the kind of personal experiences she wants to bring into her songwriting. As she continues to explore that space, there is plenty of room for Hermida to take the sound even further.
“blink twice”, by Hailey Hermida, is available to download and stream, right now, across all platforms, via Crunchy Ankles 32.
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