87. Single Review of Live, Love, Die by Tina Hyde

Originally Published February 3rd, 2025

About the Artist

I watched the Grammy’s last night. It’s no surprise that there are some musicians that are represented there; they belong. It’s also so satisfying to know that I heard a dozen artists last year that could haven the place of some of the nominees. Particularly, some of the headlining talent. Not to say that those mainstream artists aren’t good. There is just better music out there. If you are a reader who has followed Fifteen Minutes of Fame, you already know this. 

For example, there is Eastern Europe’s Tina Hyde. Tina Hyde has the looks of a mainstream pop star. The voice of a mainstream pop star. She produces music like a mainstream pop star. If she is just doing what mainstream artists are doing though, it’s not worth mentioning. At that point it would be who was the most opportunistic; a breakthrough lottery. Why would I write about that?

Tina is worth writing about because she is more than all of those things. Her bio tells me this in the first sentence, “Welcome to Tina Hyde’s official (sic) page, where music transcends boundaries and melodies paint stories.” (Spotify Bio). Based off of the compared criteria I mentioned before and that sentence in her bio, I scaled a sort of litmus test to explain what I mean. 

She’s a pretty woman. She uses her image in marketing herself. However, she does it through her own vision, not a producer’s who adamantly tries hard to produce something that has already been shown. Here she gives us a Lady Gaga meets Tim Burton concept. Here, we see Olivia Rodrigo meets Nurse Ratched. There are dozens of examples of how she is able to twist her own vision into what is popular. Thus sending the viewer/listener a message that she is going to distort the norm they are used to in a way that will grab their attention.

Her vocal performance does something similar. There is a crisp delivery to her diction that’s comparable to Laufey, though she is NOT a classical singer. She has a unexpected power to her deliver just like Maggie Rogers in her new single, In the Living Room. She also delivers vocal performances that are organic in sound to engineered, modified performances. She does this and she finds a way to tie them together so it’s all relative to her.

The production value of her music passes the test in the same way. I hear subtle comparisons to Tones and I, specifically in Hyde’s songs Catharsis and Megalomania, but with a twist. Catharsis has this unsettling string part that layers this beautiful, yet unsettling soundscape behind this broken arpeggiated piano part. Into the Night sounds epic, almost as if it is part of a musical; like it could be performed as a segment of a larger story. Echo of the Unborn/Earthangel is an equal blend of funk, 80’s synth, with an Arabic vocal performance. All of these sounds, and it’s all unmistakably Tina Hyde music. Such diversity and it all belongs together. 

That’s impressive. 

About the Song

Live, Love, Die is a single that was released on February 16th, 2024 by Tina Hyde. At approximately 3 minutes, it is a rock song that features drums, bass, distorted electric guitars, and vocals performed by Hyde. It is part of an 8-Song EP called Borderline, though I’m not sure where that EP has released. It isn’t available on Spotify, though the 8 songs are individually available.

About the Music

Musically, this sounds to be Hyde’s experimentation with genres like Dark Wave. Though very much a pop song, it leans closer to a sound like Evanescence. Incorporating a piano part that is both heavy on the sustain pedal and mixed with a healthy dose of reverb, these elements treat the song with the same sort of ambiance as Evanescence’s most famous track, Bring Me to Life. The use of electronic beats and the fuzzy effects on the bass synth follow this idea. 

The difference is this song is much more a groove than the compared track, which is very uptempo. Hyde also utilizes more of her range, vocally, which is a decision I think she capitalizes on. I really like the cadence of her first verse. Particularly how she hits the middle consonant of a word then slides down a 5th to the root note of the chord progression. It’s a really great sound with the dissonance that’s offered by the sustained piano. 

The production value of this song is also particularly good. I love the subtle autotune on the vocal part. It gives just a subtle glitch effect that bridges the organic musical performance to the digital performance. It’s barely noticeable but it’s heard in all the right places, in all the right ways. The percussion is mixed mostly dead center, but there are trickled pans in places that really create an invisible room for the listener.

About the Lyrics

Lyrically, Live, Love, Die reads like a warning to the listener with the narrator essentially saying “Don’t do what I did.” The narrator is cautioning the listener against the urge to lean into our vulnerable selves.

“Traumatized. In denial. Don’t be vulnerable. Evil wizard. Wear disguise. Not so recognizable. What if I rewrite the story? What if I wake up again? What if I’ll end up in glory? And the dice will roll back down?” 

The verse tells a story of the narrator recounting having put themselves out there emotionally, with it not going well. Then, having experienced that, they’re faced with a crossroads as they are finding themselves in a state where they can open up to somebody again. They show the instinct to want to push away their doubts: “What if I rewrite the story?” I take this to mean, “This time will be different.” So maybe this isn’t finding themselves in the same place with a new fancy. Perhaps they’re finding themselves in the same place with the same person and they are questioning whether or not they should go back to them.

“Don’t open your heart. Don’t close your eyes. Do not fall might catch you. Do not fall might catch you again.”

So, the pre-chorus and the chorus seem to be an argument between reason and temptation within the narrator. The Reason personality is warning the narrator not to revert back to their feelings for the object of affection. 

Lyrically, this song is relatable for any person who has found themselves in a relationship with a person they can’t let go of but should. I think the author does a fantastic job of telling the story as a struggle with their inner consciences. The lyrics are performed within the song in a very cool way, offering cadences mid-word that sound very pleasant.

Final Thoughts

Not only do I like this song, I am impressed with Tina Hyde’s entire catalog of work. With releases from February 2024, to January 2025, Hyde has given us 15 different songs that are very experimental, very different, but still stay home to what is uniquely her. 

Tina Hyde is continuing to grow musically. Songs like Surrender continue to push the envelope, hinting at a sort of Gothic/Folk fusion. Then For Nothing serves up an evolved style similar to Live, Love, Die. Hyde has placed her listeners on a path that, looking back, makes perfect sense, and yet leaves us forging on to an unpredictable destination. Rest-assured, it’s a place we should want to go.

You can follow Tina Hyde on Spotify, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook. She also has profiles on TikTok and YouTube Channel. 

Tina’s latest release, For Nothing, released on January 24th, 2025.

MAKE SURE to follow, Tina Hyde so you can be one of the FIRST to hear “Lullaby,” which releases on February 14th AND a SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT that will also be made on the 14th of February!