Darrian Gerard Turns Silent Goodbyes Into Alt-Pop Power on “Need Her”

Some songs scream their heartbreak. Darrian Gerard’s “Need Her” stares you in the eye and lets the silence do the damage. It’s not about cheating, betrayal, or some messy blowout. This is about the friendships and relationships that drift away. No big fight, no one to blame, just life slowly pulling people in different directions until one day you realize they don’t need you anymore. And that hurts in a way that’s hard to shake.

With lines like “Make your plans, invite our friends, except for me” and “What point did you get to ‘I don’t need her’,” Gerard bottles that quiet heartbreak into something almost too relatable. It’s the kind of grief you can’t really explain to anyone who hasn’t lived it, a mix of loss, acceptance, and strange empowerment.

“Need Her” also marks a turning point for Gerard. It’s her first co-write and the first time she’s handed production over to someone else. Teaming up with Kayla Diamond, who produced and co-wrote the track, might seem like a risk for an artist who built her career on doing everything herself. But the gamble pays off. The production is sleek without stripping away emotion, wrapping Gerard’s vocals in a rich alt-pop atmosphere that gives the song space to breathe. It’s still unmistakably her, just with a sharper edge.

The timing couldn’t be better. “Need Her” lands the day before Gerard steps onto the main stage at Laketown Amphitheatre, opening for Nickelback in front of thousands. Dropping one of her most vulnerable songs right before hitting a career milestone feels like a power move. It’s personal growth colliding with professional momentum in real time.

What makes “Need Her” stick is how it refuses to villainize anyone. It’s self-aware without being self-pitying, sad without sinking into melodrama. If you’ve ever outgrown someone or been left behind by someone else’s growth, this song will feel like it was written for you. Gerard doesn’t just make alt-pop anthems, she crafts the kind of songs you’ll come back to years later when you need a reminder that you survived the quiet, bittersweet goodbyes.

“Need Her” isn’t about a blowout fight; it’s about the slow fade. Why do you think those quiet endings sometimes hurt more than the explosive ones?

The slow fades sneak up on you. One day, you realize you’re not as close anymore, and it stings because there wasn’t one big reason. Those are the ones that stick with me the most. With the slow fade, it’s almost like mourning something that just slipped away. There wasn’t one thing, so you keep replaying moments in your head, wondering where it shifted, and that can actually cut deeper.

You’ve always been fiercely independent with your music. What was the most challenging part about handing over production and co-writing duties for the first time?

Just letting go of control. I’ve always done everything myself, the writing, producing, recording, so handing the reins to someone else felt really vulnerable. But at the same time, it taught me to trust the process and realize that collaboration can take a song somewhere I might never have gotten on my own. Kayla Diamond is an amazing producer and even more amazing human being, and she made it so easy for me to hand over the power on producing and made the song into one of my favourites!

This track drops literally a day before you open for Nickelback. No pressure, but… how do you mentally prepare for dropping something vulnerable and then walking on stage in front of thousands?

Yeah, no pressure at all! Haha. Honestly, I try not to overthink it. I remind myself that releasing music and playing live are two separate moments. With the release, I’m letting the song go and hoping people connect with it. With the show, it’s about being present, having fun, and giving the best performance I can. If anything, dropping the track right before kind of fuels me;  it’s like all the energy and nerves get channeled into the set. And it was the first time “Need Her” was played live, so that was super exciting on its own!

Many artists write about romantic breakups. Why did you choose to focus on platonic or non-romantic drift, and do you think we talk about that type of loss enough?

I don’t think we talk about it enough at all. Friendships and non-romantic relationships can hurt just as much when they fall apart. Sometimes even more, because those are the people who know you differently. I wanted to shine a light on that kind of loss because it’s something we all go through, but it doesn’t always get the same space in songs.

When fans hit play on “Need Her”, what’s the one emotion or thought you hope sticks with them after the song ends?

I hope they feel seen. Like, if they’ve gone through a friendship or connection that slowly drifted apart, they’re not alone in that feeling. On a personal level, if I’m going through it and I find a song where someone’s gone through a similar thing, it makes me feel so much less alone and like I can get through it too. I want listeners to walk away feeling like it’s okay to grieve that, but also okay to keep moving forward.