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Alana Springsteen is a name you'll want to know in country music.
PEOPLE exclusively premieres the 20-year-old singer's latest music video for her new single "Trying Not To" featuring Roman Alexander. The newcomer, who was named as a Pandora Artist to Watch, brings her latest song, about the magnetic pull of an ex after a breakup, to life in a face-to-face duet with Alexander, also an up-and-coming name in the country scene.
"We both knew right away that we had something special, and this song needed to be out in the world. I'm such a fan of Roman's music," Springsteen tells PEOPLE. "The texture his voice adds to this song as well as his delivery is so important to it. You feel it as soon as he sings in the first verse. I just don't hear this song any other way."
The Nashville transplant from Virginia Beach also shares how the songwriting process for "Trying Not To" came to be.
"It was the first time I had written with Roman, [producers] Jerry Flowers and Jared Keim, but there was something different about that day. We had decided to write a duet, and, between the lyrics and melody, everything clicked. We knew we had something special," Springsteen recalls. "From the moment we wrote this song, everything has seemed to just fall in place. The day we shot the music video, we had a chance to turn it up in the car with the windows down as we drove around downtown Nashville. I think that was the moment I realized that we actually made the song we set out to create that day in the writing room."
Springsteen picking up her first guitar at age 7 and wrote her first song at 9 years old with dreams of someday making it big like her sheroes Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. After moving to Music City at age 14, Springsteen landed a publishing deal almost immediately. More recently, she signed with management firm Morris Higham in partnership with Scooter Braun's SB Projects.
"Something I love most about music, especially country music, is the way it connects people who may have never found common ground otherwise. It helps us realize that we all experience the same situations and emotions in one form or another. I love hearing a hook that makes me think, 'Wow that's exactly what I've been feeling, I just didn't know how to express it.' That's why I always try to be very conversational in the way I write; I try to show instead of tell, to paint a picture and not be too on the nose with my lyrics," Springsteen explains.
"My hope is that listeners feel the nuances of the words we've chosen and find a piece of their truth in all of my songs. That was our approach with 'Trying Not To.' I think most of us have wanted something or someone we couldn't or shouldn't have at some point or another, and I think the push and pull of this song really brings that tension to life in a way that turns a song into an emotion," the star adds.
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As her fame continues to grow her fan base, Springsteen hopes audiences will see varying sides of her personality with "Trying Not To."
"I've realized there are two sides to me. 'Windows-down, night drive Alana who's all about vibe and 'live show' Alana, who just wants to rock out and jump to the beat with 30,000 people," she says. "This song actually checks both of those boxes for me, which is very exciting. I can't wait to see if others feel the same way!"
Alexander raved about Springsteen recently, writing, "One of the most talented humans I know @alanaspringsteen you are a superstar. Thank you for having me part of this. Glad we were about to write and release this together."
"Trying Not To" is another addition to Springsteen's growing collection of hits including her Filmore collaboration "Think About You" as well as her solo singles "Best Nights" and "Different When You're 17."
"Trying Not To" is streaming now.
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