American Idol Top 5 contestant, Fritz Hager released his new original song, “Hearts Align” on Friday (May 13) along with his fellow Top 7 finalists. The romantic new tune is produced by King Henry (Beyoncé, Diplo, LANY), and written by season 18 alum Francisco Martin and Drew Pearson (Phillip Phillips, Wrabel).
Fritz, who hails from Dallas, Texas, realized music was something he wanted to do when he received his first guitar in the sixth grade. The singer credits his talent to being an American Idol fan and inspired by Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips. The 22-year-old originally auditioned for Season 19 but did not make the cut. Luckily he took the time to audition again this year. His self-titled debut EP charted No. 1 on the iTunes pop charts and crossed over onto the Billboard digital sales charts.
“I think this song perfectly describes a moment that everyone has felt,” expresses Fritz shared in a press statement. “It’s about the moment when two people fall out of step with each other, but you aren’t ready to let go…holding on to those final moments and the fear and uncertainty of what comes after.”
“It feels very cathartic to me”
“It’s the perfect song to blast in the car after a breakup or a fight,” Fritz continued. “It feels very cathartic to me, and I think music is the perfect tool to express these kinds of pent-up emotions when it can be difficult to express to the person you feel them for. It’s okay to be hung up on someone and to be scared of what will happen if you lose them. The important part is to be able to come to terms with those feelings and move past them.”
Fritz told told Billboard in a recent interview: “It’s my second time being in a studio. My first time, I was a teen. And coming from Texas, I worked with country artists and now the producer I’m working with is King Henry. We are two people who have the same sounds in mind. For my first EP, there was almost a language barrier because it was like working in two different mediums, so being able to work with King Henry and how our conversation flowed was really cool.”
The Top 3 will debut their singles on the American Idol season 20 finale airing on ABC May 22. But before that, the Top 5 will sing two songs on the Top 5 performance episode airing on Sunday May 15. Ryan Seacrest will reveal the Top 3 at the end of the episode after a nationwide vote.
Watch the visualizer for Fritz Hager’s original song “Hearts Align” below.
