Twenty years since the release of her first project, Leah, the New Zealand singer, songwriter, and producer, Leah Haywood recently released her latest single, “Cheers To Us” ft. pop duo, Loote. The catchy tune is about finally letting go and moving on. It is not your typical break up song where the artist is bashing their ex-lover, instead the song is a bittersweet goodbye.
Haywood previewed the music video to the project on her personal Instagram account sharing a heartfelt caption about the meaning of the song.
The Palm Tree Records artist explained to her record label the story behind the project. “It’s the happiest and least bitter breakup song of all time,” she smiles. “The idea is, ‘It was good while it lasted, and we got so many amazing things out of the relationship.’ It comes from the point-of-view of living life with no regrets. As you progress in life, you look back and see pain serves a purpose. Something beautiful comes from tragedy. Jackson’s gorgeous vocals were the perfect fit. It felt like a real discussion between two people. Given its explosive nature and conversational lyrics, it felt relatable and was a great way to kick things off.”
After going twenty years without releasing any personal music and just focusing on writing songs for other singers, Haywood confessed to her label the reason why she took her time writing her own personal songs. “I didn’t have any choice in the matter,” she leaves off. “I couldn’t have written these songs ten years ago. I didn’t have the narrative in my own life to dig into, and I didn’t have the depth of life experience that I do now. I’ve been through a lot of highs and a lot of heartbreak. This project is what I was designed to do. It happened when it was meant to happen. It’s like someone flicked the switch in my head about how to put my life on paper and I suddenly figured out how to write my own story.”
Listen to “Cheers To Us” below.
