Alexander 23

RIP You and Me was one of the first songs I wrote for my debut album Aftershock. Ironically, it ultimately became the clear and obvious choice to be the final song on the album (more on this later). I hadnt really written any songs since my previous EP Oh No, Not Again! and didnt know exactly where I wanted to go with the next round of music which I think is both the scariest and most freeing time for a songwriter. I booked a spontaneous trip to Miami to get inspired and thats where this song started.

While I was in Miami, I realized that although a relationship of mine had ended, there was still a lot I wanted to say to her and things I hoped she knew. I began to think of this song as a kind of eulogy for a relationship and thats where the title was born. After I had the working concept and some of the lyrics I sat down at the piano and that chorus melody line was one of the first things that came out. It was really funny working on this sad piano song while all of the other studios were bumping insanely loud reggaeton. I actually think this weirdly ended up inspiring the bridge, in that I knew the song had to dial up to 10 at some point to really capture the emotion.

When I got back to LA, I lived with the song for a little bit and really loved it, but it felt like something was missing to really put it over the top. It felt like one of the most harmonically sophisticated songs I had ever made and I really wanted to lean into that. I called Charlie Puth and had him not only replay all of the piano I had played but also add that outro solo which I could not be happier to have as the last moment on the album. 

This song had to be the final song on the album because to me this song is closure personified. Its looking back at all the highs and all the lows, exhaling, and saying we gave it our best shot. I think of the duality of the really intense bridge and the outro piano solo as kind of the perfect encapsulation of that feeling. I think this song defines the Aftershock era and Im so grateful for it. 