Holly Nicholson releases honest new single, “I Forget We’re Friends”
hen you sit down to explicitly write a song. I momentarily disconnected with reality and I think it’s immediately clear when you listen that this song was written differently.
Sonically, this feels like a shift toward a grittier pop-rock edge. How intentional was this move, and how does it reflect the sound you want to claim as your own going forward?I love how unapologetic and sharp rock music can be, and how delicate yet powerful pop music can be, especially lyrically. It was always the big guitars I loved whilst building ‘heartbreak era’, and I knew going into ‘i forget we’re friends’ and my sophomore EP that I wanted to bring them to the forefront and lean into more of a rock edge. Going forward, you can definitely expect a lot more of everything ‘i forget we’re friends’ encompasses.
The song has already become a fan favourite at live shows. How does performing something this emotionally raw in front of an audience change the way you experience it?It’s hard to be so blatantly honest and vulnerable on stage, especially when sharing something new with an audience. I know what the song means to me, but seeing the new meanings fans have given it and their reactions to it, has changed everything for me. I’m always in awe of how many people connect with the lyrics and the displays of emotion throughout the crowds. It’s made it a lot easier to share my vulnerabilities and look forward to everything that comes next. Witnessing different interpretations of songs is a beautiful thing, everyone takes something different from each lyric and that’s very inspiring to me, it makes me feel much less alone.
As this single opens the door to a new era and your sophomore EP, what do you want listeners to understand about where you’re headed creatively in 2026?To me, this song is very clearly separated from ‘heartbreak era’, it’s doing something new, and my upcoming music will keep this going. The writing sessions for my second record have already become a lot more emotionally raw and personal, exploring more intimate topics that I’d usually be hesitant to talk about. The honesty of ‘i forget we’re friends’ is unmistakable in my new music.
Additionally, I’m working in a new way for my next record; ‘heartbreak era’ initially came together in a live setting whereas this next EP is being created entirely in the studio. We’re working on every track from a blank canvas, which is allowing us to be more creative in our approach. I’m excited to share more of what I’ve been working on. I have shared an acoustic version of one of the songs a couple of times, but the final version remains a surprise. ‘i forget we’re friends’ set the stage for exploring a new sound ahead of the second EP, and it will continue to define my musical direction moving forward.