Exclusive: Emily Hackett Shares Exuberant New Single, “Good Intentions”

“Good Intentions” is the playful follow-up to Emily Hackett’s single “Nostalgia,” which was released last year. The rising country artist from Atlanta, Ga., only has one EP and a smattering of singles to her name to date, but Hackett is boldly making her way forward.

Hackett first garnered attention in 2014 with her duet with Will Anderson of Parachute. “Take My Hand (The Wedding Song),” made it into the top five on iTunes’ Singer/Songwriter Chart and its official music video earned over 20 million views.

Jumping forward to her latest single, Hackett is self-deprecating without becoming burdensome on the exuberant “Good Intentions.” Adopting a teasing tone, Hackett sings of how “You can’t get to heaven on good intentions,” referencing broken New Years’ resolutions and dropping promises you make to yourself.

Hackett said of the song:

“Good Intentions” is meant to be a little sarcastic, self-deprecating dig. Everyone has good intentions of doing big things and making changes in their lives for the better, but we’re also all human. It’s okay to screw up! Literally everyone does. But at the same time, there’s definitely a sentiment there that I take seriously. Like, “Okay, but really, get your shit together.”

“Good Intentions” balances the desire to follow through on personal goals while honestly divulging how often these goals become neglected. The line “All the bad decisions, wanna get them out of my system,” leads the song into grounds perhaps for bad decisions—with its high energy and easy lyrics, you can picture a crowd partying, dancing and singing along to “Good Intentions.” But maybe that’s what the song is: a release before pulling it all together.