“Cherry” on Top: Emily Hackett’s Soft-Glow Anthem for Staying Present

Some songs feel like a quiet conversation you didn’t know you needed until it starts happening. Emily Hackett’s new single “Cherry” is that kind of moment - gentle, grounding, and unexpectedly powerful in the way it sneaks up on you.

Raised on her dad’s record collection, Hackett’s musical DNA runs deep. You can hear echoes of Laurel Canyon storytellers, Beatles-style melodics, and the emotional gravity of artists like Aretha Franklin and Led Zeppelin woven into her writing, but never in a way that feels borrowed. Emily’s strength has always been her ability to take those classic influences and filter them through her own lived experience, turning reflection into something warmly human and relatable. She doesn’t just write songs, she opens doors.

Now based in Nashville, Hackett has quietly built a reputation as a songwriter who values honesty over spectacle. Her music has landed on playlists like Spotify’s Fresh Folk, Fresh Finds, and Chill Singer-Songwriter, as well as Apple Music’s Today’s Singer-Songwriters and Morning Coffee. She was also a finalist in Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem, but accolades aside, it’s the emotional clarity in her work that keeps listeners coming back.

“Cherry” was written in a moment many of us know too well. That early-in-the-year spiral, when motivation is supposed to be high but self-doubt gets there first. Meditation feels forced. Vision boards feel mocking. You start wondering why you can’t just get out of your own way. Instead of pushing past that frustration, Hackett sits with it, and that’s where the song finds its heartbeat.

Lyrically, “Cherry” moves back and forth between belief and doubt, like a pendulum swinging inside your chest. The verses carry the weight of uncertainty, while the hook feels like a soft hand on your shoulder, a reminder to breathe, stay present, and keep going anyway. It’s not preachy or over-polished. It feels lived-in. The kind of self-talk you repeat until it finally sticks.

Sonically, the track glides. Soft like butter, smooth as silk, “Cherry” unfolds with ease, acoustic textures floating beneath Emily’s clean, expressive vocals. Her melodies drift and shift naturally, never forcing the moment, letting confidence build quietly instead of shouting for attention. There’s a subtle sparkle to the production, like sunlight catching dust in the air, making it nearly impossible not to press repeat.

More than just a standalone single, “Cherry” became the spark that ignited Hackett’s upcoming debut full-length album, Must Be Present to Win, set for release in June 2026. The song captures the core philosophy of the project: that gratitude isn’t a finish line, but a practice. That the magic we’re searching for isn’t somewhere else - it’s already here, waiting for us to notice it.

In a world obsessed with optimization and outcomes, Emily Hackett offers something gentler and far more lasting. “Cherry” doesn’t demand transformation. It invites presence. And if this song is any indication of what’s coming next, Must Be Present to Win won’t just be an album - it’ll be a reminder to slow down, believe a little harder, and trust that seeing the good really does make the good get better.