POP’S NEWEST AVENGER AUDREY HOBERT RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE “SUE ME”
Credit of RCA Records. Protected under fair use.
If the name Audrey Hobert is familiar to you, honestly, as it should be, if not, let’s catch up. Before stepping onstage herself, Hobert was behind some of the sounds of the current pop wave, most prominently for her co-writing on some standouts on Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us including the viral track "That’s So True." But now, with her debut single "Sue Me," she is the performer, writer and director, turning the mic back toward herself, and claiming her own spot at the pop table with a subtle self-awareness that is both smart and ultimately hard to forget.
Released on RCA Records, “Sue Me” is an earworm that fuses indie sleaze into the familiar confessional pop sound in a way that feels effortless. The song’s production takes the late-night excitement of a bar and combines it with dreamy pop nuances from producer Ricky Gourmet, who adds a kind of litmus testing to Hobert’s delivery - balancing a self-awareness and sarcasm with sincerity that makes it feel, well, freshly current. "Sue Me" is giving the pop star we’ve all been waiting for: someone who shows she doesn't have all the answers but is going to own every messy moment like it was all part of the plan.
The song has twists, clever pivots, and even diary level darker honesty (whether or not you are into the whole pop diary thing, of course) all written by Hobert herself in the lyrics. “I’ve been so careful with you, babe / But I’m out late / And being a saint is exhausting” she sings in the pre-chorus summation of our blurry rationalization of our lives post-breakup. There is centuries worth of nuance in her choices, but she is also really intentional. The song reads like a live action play for someone actively spiraling a bit and owning it: needing validation, purposely making the wrong choice, and drinking in the chaos for the little bit of power and control it gives you.
But where "Sue Me" really lands and finds its impact is in it's hook. “Sue me, I wanna be wanted,” Hobert chants in the verses, leaning into the contradictions of wanting love while wanting to have control. There is something addictively enjoyable about the lyric that feels fun with intentionality and also refreshingly grounded. “Sue me, I wanna be toxic / Blow up your life like atomic,” Hobert adds later, with just enough of a wink as if it makes bumps in creating such a hit. Hobert directed the video for the song, something Hobert has been attached to as much for authenticity as for her creative vision.
"Sue Me" looks the part; frankly, it's essentially only designer chaos at this point. It is obvious she is not trying to recreate someone else's aesthetic. She is building her own aesthetic piece by piece, an over-share at a time. What’s most exciting about "Sue Me" is how much it has the potential to be. Hobert does not sound like someone still figuring it out. Hobert sounds like she has arrived and knows exactly who she is. She is not trying to be the next Gracie Abrams even if she co-wrote some of the biggest hits of Abrams' career to date. With “Sue Me," Audrey Hobert is leaving it all out on the table, and if you have a problem with it, might as well sue her.
Listen to Sue Me here.
