Aloe Blacc & Eric Hirshberg cut through the static with intimate “For Real” performance video
07 November 2025
Newsdesk
There is something disarming about watching two artists stand a few feet apart and let a song carry the weight of the message. In the official video for “For Real,” Aloe Blacc and Eric Hirshberg do exactly that, stripping away spectacle in favor of eye contact, open space, and an easy, lived-in chemistry that keeps the focus on connection.
The song, released last week and already embraced for its warmth and clarity, leans into a question that feels increasingly unavoidable: what does it mean to stay human when our feeds are engineered for outrage and distraction. The video answers by pulling us into the room. No elaborate storyline, no heavy-handed symbolism, just two artists building a moment in real time and inviting us into it.
“For Real” is the first glimpse of Hirshberg’s forthcoming third album, More Is Not The Answer, arriving in early 2026. The title alone hints at the ethos running through this collaboration. As v13.net observed, the new material favors “less noise, fewer tricks, strong hooks,” a framework that fits the song’s unhurried cadence and lets the writing and melody sit at the center.
Lyrically and visually, “For Real” pushes against the forces that fracture conversations before they begin. “This song started as a conversation about our phones,” Hirshberg explains. He recalls both artists trying to cut down on screen time and minimize divisive influences. “For Real” grew from that impulse, a reminder of “the importance of talking to and listening to each other, even when – maybe especially when – we disagree.”
For Aloe Blacc, the track extends a longstanding commitment to purpose-driven soul. “I believe in using music to try to lift people up and bring people together,” he says. That intent runs through every frame of the video, which lands less like promotion and more like an invitation. “For Real” is out now on all streaming platforms, with the official performance clip streaming on YouTube.
