YUNGBLUD and Halsey Are Torn Between Love and Hate in "11 Minutes"
If there has been one music couple that has truly fascinated me since the time of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, it would have to be the dating rumors surrounding alternative pop phenomenon Halsey and alternative rock upstart YUNGBLUD. Yet, what is astronomically more interesting than speculating about the private lives of others, is the music the pairing have been working on in secret.
"11 Minutes" sees Halsey and YUNGBLUD not only bridging their reverence for rock but enlisting one of the genre's modern architects to pull off the striking number. With the help of the legendary Travis Barker of Blink-182, The Transplants, and +44 fame, the newly formed trio weaves a story of a couple who, due to societal pressures, sabotages their relationship before it even has gotten off the ground. Speaking on making the heart-piercing track with Halsey and Barker, YUINGBLUD shared,
"Working with Halsey and Travis was a fucking dream - at the end of the day we're all rock kids. We grew up with a mutual adoration for the genre so it completely makes sense that we would come together and try to modernize it."
"11 Minutes" is anthemic, but by no means is it a soaring ode to love or outright heartbreak. It is caught somewhere in the middle, as YUNGBLUD and Halsey intertwine, singing to the heavens, "You're the best I've ever hard/ You're the worst I've ever had." And similar to the actual realization that the choice you made not have been the right one, the grand emotional crux is not found in a sweeping moment of catharsis but in the poignant piano ballad that bookends "11 Minutes." "Why aren't you here/ Why aren't you here/ Why aren't you here," questions a lone Halsey, seemingly both to herself and YUNGBLUD.
Listen to the heart-shattering "11 Minutes" below:
