New York-based singer-songwriter ROREY, aged 26, delivers a gut-punch of emotional honesty with her latest single, Hurts Me To Hate You, released on August 29, 2025, as part of her sophomore EP Dysphoria via Killphonic Records. This haunting alt-pop track, paired with a deeply personal music video featuring ROREY and her mother, transforms a complex mother-daughter relationship into a universal anthem of healing and radical acceptance. Co-written and co-produced with Scott Effman during a mixed manic episode in 2021, the song captures ROREY’s realization that her anger toward her mother was a self-imposed cage. “It hurt me to hate her,” she confesses. “I wanted her in my life, and that meant accepting her for who she is. You can’t control other people.” Stream it on Spotify or Apple Music (https://music.apple.com), and watch the video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROREY-HurtsMeToHateYou).
ROREY’s journey began bicoastally between Manhattan and Los Angeles, where she taught herself guitar at six and piano at 14, drawing inspiration from her father’s love for Santana, Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull. After leaving The New School in 2019 to pursue music, she released her debut single Predictable in 2021 and her first EP Apt 7D in 2023. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2021, ROREY channels her mental health struggles into Dysphoria, a five-track project written at 21 during the pandemic’s chaos. The EP, mixed by Nathan Phillips and mastered by Brian Calhoon, blends ethereal vocals with hypnotic instrumentals, earning praise from Zane Lowe, LADYGUNN, and Office Magazine. Her music has landed on Spotify’s Fresh Finds, New Music Daily, and New in Pop playlists, cementing her as a rising voice in indie-alt-pop.
Hurts Me To Hate You is a downtempo confession, with dreamy guitar riffs and poignant lyrics like, “At the end of the day / I can place all the blame / But it’s not all about you / It hurts me to hate you.” The song explores ROREY’s shift from resentment to acceptance, recognizing that her emotions are her own to manage. The music video, a raw portrayal of reconciliation, features intimate moments with her mother, amplifying the song’s cathartic weight. EARMILK calls it “a fearless narrative of self-awareness,” while Atwood Magazine praises her ability to turn pain into art that resonates universally. ROREY’s storytelling, rooted in personal experience, feels like diary entries set to lush, chaotic soundscapes, inviting listeners to confront their own unspoken truths.
Following her recent performance at Brooklyn’s Baby’s Alright and a headline show at Knitting Factory (April 2025), ROREY continues to captivate with her genre-bending sound. Dysphoria—also featuring the acclaimed single Wish I Was Numb, written during the same manic episode—explores mental health, identity, and survival with unflinching honesty. “I say out loud what some people are afraid to say,” ROREY shares, aiming to help listeners feel seen. Her music, designed for headphone immersion, balances vulnerability and danceable energy, making Hurts Me To Hate You both a personal confession and a collective exhale. As she prepares for more live performances, including potential festival slots, ROREY’s fearless artistry positions her as a vital voice for those navigating the messy beauty of human emotion.
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