gnash is an American singer, songwriter, and producer who broke through with one aching duet. "i hate u, i love u", released in 2016 with the singer Olivia O'Brien, was a quiet, conflicted heartbreak song that captured a particular strain of modern teenage melancholy, and it became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in the United States and beyond.
He had built a following with his lo-fi, emotionally direct style, and he kept releasing music afterward, but nothing matched that breakout's reach.
On streaming, "i hate u, i love u" sits near 1.6 billion plays, while his next most-streamed track trails at around 128 million. That puts the ratio above 12, far past our 5.0 line.
By our measure gnash is a certified one-hit wonder. His is a very 2010s story: a bedroom-pop artist whose one perfectly judged collaboration tapped into a shared feeling and travelled far beyond anything else he made, leaving a single duet to define him. It is a very 2010s arc: an intimate, downcast song that found a vast audience and then quietly receded from view.