Let’s wait a few days before updating that Facebook relationship status, shall we?

What is it with these country chicks? Man, they are out for blood – seeking vengeance! Retribution! Revenge! But it’s cool; it makes for some great music. And rolling up on that “Before He Cheats” theme (I actually thought it was a Carrie Underwood sequel when I first heard it) is newcomer Gabby Barrett‘s “I Hope,” a little ditty about wishing unto others the hand you got dealt yourself.

Those of you who watch competitive reality TV singing shows will no doubt already know the 20-year-old Barrett from her third-place finish on Fox’s American Idol back in 2018. And while some think that’s a rubber stamp to stardom, it’s not usually true (for every Carrie Underwood there’s a Caleb Johnson, right?)…so kudos to second-runner up Barrett for making shit happen.

She actually released “I Hope” independently following her Idol experience, and Warner Nashville took notice, immediately signing her to a deal. And why wouldn’t they? “I Hope” hits all the breakup anthem sweet spots and, despite its original summer 2019 release date, has garnered even more fans through 2020 as couples deal with each other in person more than they ever have before thanks to pandemic restrictions and shelter-in-place lock-downs across the country and world. So when Barrett belts out to her ex-lover, “I hope you know she’s the one by the end of the night,” followed by some wishful thinking, hoping that “She’s everything you’re ever gonna need” – she then buries the knife in the SOB: “And then I hope she cheats / Like you did on me.” Ouch! And you have to wonder: how may relationships in 2020 have hit the skids like this? (Boom! Built-in fan base.)

Underpinning the lyrical drama is the dramatic instrumental buildup, adding tension as we learn what the narrator’s really thinking, climaxing in a flourish with a strong chorus vocal from Barrett. It’s no wonder, then, that pop and R&B slickster Charlie Puth hit up Barrett in the spring of 2020 to collaborate on a remix, which sent the track rocketing back up the charts, this time with a verse sung by Puth and featuring a more pop-friendly sound.

The track is the debut single from her debut album, Goldmine, which was released in June 2020…and a perfect song to end our 2020 blog coverage on. Unlike most American Idol alums, it appears Gabby Barrett has a bright future ahead, if she can keep pumping out hits like “I Wish.” Hopefully, her real-life relationships are going better.