Singer-songwriter Eric Hirshberg and GRAMMY-nominated soul artist Aloe Blacc have reunited for “For Real,” a powerful new single about coming together and finding common ground in our increasingly divided world.
Out now on all digital platforms, the track arrives as the first glimpse of Hirshberg’s forthcoming third album, “More Is Not The Answer,” – an expansive new body of work due in 2026.
After first teaming up on 2024’s “I Love Not Drinking” – hailed by People Magazine as “a sober anthem for Dry January” and featured by KCRW, Relix, American Songwriter, and KTLA – the pair set out to write something bigger: a song about reconnecting in a time of disconnection.
“This song started as a conversation about our phones,” says Hirshberg. “Like so many people, we were both trying to use the phone and social media less and to reduce the divisive influences in our lives.
‘For Real’ is a song about breaking free of the forces that divide us. It is about the importance of talking to and listening to each other, even when – maybe especially when – we disagree.”
“I believe in using music to try to lift people up and bring people together,” adds Blacc. “And the concept of this song is one that is needed right now.”
From a production standpoint, Hirshberg says the collaborators wanted to find a sound “that sits directly between our two genres.”
“My past work has always had an intimate, human-scale feel, and Aloe, of course, writes larger than life, R&B inspired pop,” he explains. “The resulting combination is something we are calling ‘Cinematic Folk.’ It is a personal song, delivered with an epic scale.”
That intersection – between intimacy and scope, message and melody – also reflects the creative partnership at the heart of “For Real.”
Aloe Blacc has long been a voice for the people – a globally recognized singer, songwriter, and changemaker whose music uplifts, empowers, and unites. Best known for genre-defying anthems like the international smash “Wake Me Up” with Avicii, anthemic “The Man,” and the timeless “I Need A Dollar,” Blacc continues to inspire through sound and purpose.
In 2025, Blacc returned with his most mission-driven work to date: a new full-length album titled Stand Together – both a celebration and a call to action, with Aloe’s signature soul and sincerity woven into every note. With powerful new music, renewed purpose, and a voice as vital as ever, Aloe stands at the center of culture and conscience – reminding the world that one good song really can change everything.
Eric Hirshberg’s own journey has been just as unconventional. Before releasing his first album, he spent nearly a decade as CEO of Activision, overseeing global entertainment franchises like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Skylanders, and Destiny.
He previously served as CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Deutsch LA, where he led the agency through a fourteen-year run that earned multiple Adweek and AdAge “Agency of the Year” honors. Named one of AdAge’s “50 Most Creative People in Business” and inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement, Hirshberg built a career at the center of culture before turning his focus toward his lifelong passion for music.
Since leaving the corporate world, Hirshberg has advised founders at purpose-driven startups including MasterClass, Beta Technologies, Skydio, and UpPartners while channeling his creative energy into music defined by humanity, humor, and hope. That balance – innovation and introspection – runs through “For Real,” a song about finding what connects us amid the noise.
“For Real” builds on the creative momentum of “I Love Not Drinking,” which celebrated joy and mindfulness through sobriety, and extends Hirshberg’s evolution as a songwriter with something meaningful to say.
While “I Love Not Drinking” championed personal clarity, “For Real” turns outward. In a culture often driven by outrage and algorithms, the song invites listeners to “break free,” and to “laugh and cry and disagree, and still see one another for the sisters and the brothers that we are.
That message continues the thread Hirshberg began with his previous album, Second Hand Smoke – a project praised by Relix for “exploring positive themes in the face of personal challenges,” and described by Americana Highways as “beautiful and quietly soaring,” and “one of the best albums of the year in any genre.”
The album dives into refreshingly candid themes, tackling sobriety, aging, and mental wellness through the lens of someone who’s experienced life’s ups and downs. With songs about setting boundaries, letting go of toxic relationships, and finding peace through reflection, Second Hand Smoke offered listeners something not often heard in today’s pop landscape.
With “For Real,” Hirshberg and Blacc channel their shared belief in the power of music to build bridges. It’s a reminder that conversation, compassion, and creativity still have the ability to cut through the noise – and that connection, in all its forms, is something worth fighting for.
