PNAU, the Australian trio, and Khalid have dropped their anticipated collaboration, “The Hard Way.” Blending Khalid’s strong vocals with PNAU’s sparkling, synth instrumental, the result is a brilliantly-layered track.
“I wish we could’ve came to some solution / Through all the conflict, find a resolution / But now we’re sitting in this empty room and / You’re pushin’ me aside,” Khalid sings in the first verse, before still admitting he’s struggling on the chorus. “When you said / Both of us just have to learn the hard way / I sit here for hours, begging you to stay / Since you’re leaving me, I’ll never be the same.”
Last month, the song was teased on TikTok and is believed to appear on PNAU’s eventual new album.
“We are so very excited to share this with you,” PNAU’s Nick Littlemore said in a statement, according to ToneDeaf. “Working with Khalid has been an absolute dream, we hope this song shall live in your hearts like it does ours.”
“It’s just awesome; it’s feel-good but then the lyrics have that melancholy, bittersweet thing about them,” Khalid added about their new song. “It’s that juxtaposition, that the lyrics are heartbreakingly sad but if you listen to the song, you can’t help but smile.
Check out PNAU and Khalid’s “The Hard Way” above.
