Arlissa - Hard To Be (Single)

Photo Credit: Lizzie Jamieson

Arlissa returns in style with her new single ‘Hard To Be’, self released via bigbootyrecords and is out now.

The LA-based, German-British pop singer-songwriter is in imperious form on her latest cut. ‘Hard To Be’ is a sensitive, intimate, cool and sexy R&B anthem, pairing Arlissa’s yearning vocal with soft finger-picked guitar and dreamy atmospherics. “Now the only thing we have is what could have been”, the artist laments in a heart-rending refrain. The track’s melancholic feel comes courtesy of engrossing production from Baca & Brandn, the duo whose past collaborators include Alina Baraz, Issa Rae, Hope Tala and sky.

Hard To Be proceeds ‘Games’ - Arlissa’s first release of the year and becomes the fifth in an extensive new singles campaign running throughout 2023 for the singer-songwriter and model, ultimately culminating in her long-awaited debut album The OPEN-HEARTED, set for release in May.

Commenting on the release, Arlissa says: “”I wrote Hard To Be when I entered the acceptance stage of the grief I felt at the end of my relationship. It’s about acknowledging the only thing we had left was “what we could’ve been” and knowing that our relationship would be forever in the past. The loss of the living is the strangest feeling because you know they’re around. But they are no longer with you. It’s a sadness that lingers.

An in-demand songwriting talent, Arlissa has written and performed on ‘We Won’t Move’ from critically acclaimed movie The Hate U Give, BTS’s ‘Spring Day’, Zayne’s comeback hit ‘Flames’, and ‘Eyes Off You’ for Ariana Grande’s soundtrack for Charlie’s Angels. Receiving praise across the board, Arlissa has been championed by media outlets such as People, NPR, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview Mag, Vogue, and performed on Good Morning America and The Today Show.