22-year-old Cade Hoppe is an indie-pop artist you don’t want to leave off your Spotify playlists. Playing instruments (piano, guitar, bass, and saxophone) and being an all-around musician since he was a kid, Cade only started exploring what would happen if music was more than just a hobby in 2020, working with his stepbrother and eventually a producer to record and release a few songs. Last year, Cade’s debut EP, Tell Me How It’s Worth It, really set things in motion. Now, Cade is starting 2022 off with new music and a new sound.
The first song Cade is sharing with the world this year is “Hurts,” an emotional and explorative track worth a listen or two (or three or…), and we’re not the only ones excited about it. “There’s a lot that excites me about this release, but I think if I had to sum it all up, I’m mostly just excited to start a new era and introduce another aspect of my sound,” Cade shared with us. “I finished making my debut EP in May of last year and I’ve been working on this new stuff ever since, so I’m obviously thrilled to start putting it out.”
There are more than just new songs coming, though. Cade is experimenting. “I think you can definitely see a shift from the last releases into this one, both sonically and visually, and that was intentional.”
Cade says his single is “about experiencing that strange post-relationship purgatory for the first time and realizing that anyone you love is going to hurt to lose, whether you were both meant to be or not. The thesis of this song is: ‘It’s not easy losing somebody, it always hurts.’ I think we all have to learn that lesson at some point in our lives and this song is about when I learned it for myself.”
It’s only January, and with a whole year ahead of him Cade is planning to share more of his musical shift and the ideas he’s been grappling with throughout 2022. “Hurts” is just the start. “‘Hurts’ sets fans up for what I’ll be doing in 2022 in a few ways,” Cade said. “There’s a level of seriousness and storytelling specificity that, in my opinion, is a step up from the stories and feelings I was exploring in 2021—I’ve been really pushing myself to be as open and honest as possible in my songwriting and I’m putting out songs that reflect that.”
For Cade’s already loyal fans, don’t worry. He doesn’t think the shift takes away from what he already started. He’s just doing more. “This is still my music and my sound, but they’re evolving and hopefully listeners think of the new stuff as a level up because I definitely do,” he explained. “2022 is going to be a very exciting year for Cade Hoppe fans, you can count on that, so it’s a great time to come along for the ride.”
“Hurts” is available to stream on all of your favorite platforms now. Listen to it now, and get amped about the reset of Cade’s leveled-up new music. We’re counting down the days!
