Alexander 23 has shared a brand new single, ‘Hate Me If It Helps’, co-written by Olivia Rodrigo.

The sprawling indie-pop cut marks the return of the Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer (real name Alexander Glantz) following the release of his 2021 EP, ‘Oh No, Not Again!’.

Happy to be labelled a “bad guy” post-breakup in order for an ex to get closure, the song’s chorus hears Alexander sing: “You can hate me if it helps/ Make me out to be the villain/ Say you’re better by yourself/ So it feels like your decision/ You can tell ’em I’m the bad guy if it helps you sleep okay/ Because all you want is closure, but there’s nothing left to say/ So you can hate me if it helps/ You can hate me if it helps.”

Co-written with Rodrigo – who Alexander worked with on her chart-topping hit ‘Good 4 U’ – it arrives with a beautifully shot, self-directed video. You can watch it below.

This year looks set to be a big one for Alexander, whose yet-to-be-titled debut album is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2022, produced by Dan Nigro.

He’s also about to head out on tour with John Mayer as support on the singer-songwriter’s ‘Sob Rock’ tour, which kicks off on February 17 in Albany, New York, and ends in Chicago, Illinois, on April 29. Yebba will also offer support.

Meanwhile, John Mayer‘s first solo gig in two years was briefly interrupted this week when he was alerted to an audience member in need of medical attention.

On Wednesday night (February 9), the ‘New Light’ hitmaker took to the stage at the Hollywood Palladium as part of SiriusXM and Pandora’s ‘Small Stages’ series.

In a video captured by Hollywood Reporter writer Chris Gardner, Mayer can be seen cutting the music in the middle of performing ‘Slow Dancing In A Burning Room’ to check on a fan, who appeared to have fainted.