gnash - The music that made me: "There's no such thing as a guilty pleasure"

Four months ago, singer-songwriter gnash found himself with a global smash on his hands with i hate you, i love you; his happy-sad ballad about a messy relationship that everyone seemed to relate to.

"It’s been an absolutely beautiful thing," gnash - real name Garrett Nash - told Official Charts when we caught up with him last week. "I think the best part about it is that [guest singer] Olivia hit the nail on the head with a song that it seems a lot of people needed to hear to feel better about the situation they’re currently in. It’s great.”

The 22-year-old LA native has just played Reading & Leeds Festivals, as well as a string of festival dates around Europe and his first UK headline show in London's Hoxton. "They were super welcoming," he said of the London crowd. "It was about 350 people and a really nice intimate venue. I like it when I can see everyone’s face and see how they’re vibing."

But while i hate you, i love you has been a hit just about everywhere (reaching the Top 10 in 10 countries including Number 7 on the Official UK Singles Chart), he's in no rush to follow it up - though understandably he'd quite like it if his next track was another big success. "I know it definitely won’t happen in the same way again," he explained, "but whatever the next single is or whatever song is embraced next, I’m excited for it.

"I have a whole body of work out already – I have three Eps. I happy rocking those at shows for now. If it allows me to keep playing these shows for a while then great. And if all else fails and I have to hang out at home more often, that’s cool with me as well."

While we await a follow-up, get better acquainted with the singer as he reveals to us his musical DNA... 

The first gig I went to

“I can tell you the first three. It was Backstreet Boys at the Staples Centre, *NSync at the Rose Bowl and then Aaron Carter at Universal City. I managed the holy trio right out the gate. *NSync were my favourite, but I got the Backstreet Boys tickets because a friend of mine down the street had misbehaved and his parents gave me the tickets as punishment.”

The first song I fell in love with

"Tipsy by J-Kwon. And I still love it just as much."

First album I was completely obsessed with

"The first album I loved was the Looney Tunes renditions of The Beatles – my mum used to play it to me when I was little. The first album I actually bought was OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – clean version of course."

A song that will get you up on the dancefloor no matter what

"Right now, One Dance is pretty great. Classically, probably Beyonce’s Crazy In Love. It’s just such a good song – everyone wants to dance to that song. There’s no real intro to it – it just hits you straight away and makes you get up."

People might be surprised to learn that I still listen to…

“I listen to the first Good Charlotte album all the time. That's not a guilty pleasure, is it? There's no such thing anymore, is there? I love the first Tegan and Sara project as well. I’ve been listening to that a lot lately – I mean it’s so, so good.”

The song that reminds me of me first love

"Dark Blue by Jack’s Mannequin. It’s like the happiest and darkest emo song you ever heard. The title leans towards the emo side but the chorus is huge. The song has incredible memories for me."

I’m currently listening to…

“The new Frank Ocean album, and it's so great. It took me a couple of listens to form an opinion on it, but now I’m hooked."

The first song I wrote

“It was a song that my friend G-Eazy actually ended up taking for his album. It was called Don’t Think I Think About You and he turned it into Think About You featuring a singer called Quin, which she recorded at my house. It was great to get a co-sign like that so early on – it gave me a lot of confidence moving forward."

A song I want at my funeral

“Death Cab For Cutie’s I Will Follow You Into The Dark. It’s such a beautiful example of true love for somebody and I hope everybody would feel that way for me at my funeral!"

gnash's i hate you, i love you and his u, me and us EP series are out now.