If you think of Hayley Orrantia strictly as Erica Goldberg from The Goldbergs, you’re missing half the story. Sure, she’s spent a decade playing TV’s most lovable ‘80s brat, but behind the scenes, she’s been quietly building a music career.
Orrantia’s been in the country world for years—Texas roots, Nashville songwriting trips, all of it. But now? She’s setting it all on fire. Her latest single, Gasoline, is a bold move into indie pop, full of slick production and lyrical bite.
“This feels like the most natural shift,” she says. “Country fit me for a while, but this is what I’ve always gravitated toward.”
From Nashville to Indie Pop
The pandemic shook things up for Orrantia, like it did for most artists. Stuck at home, she wasn’t making her usual Nashville rounds, writing songs the way she always had. Instead, she stripped it back—just her, a piano, and a notepad. And somewhere in that solitude, she found a new sound.
Enter Gasoline. Co-written with her fiancé, actor Greg Furman, the song tackles a toxic relationship with a clever, dark-humored edge.
“It’s hard to burn a bridge when you’re standing on it,” Furman told her one day, and that line set the whole thing in motion.
“It’s funny, because obviously, we’re not writing from personal experience,” she laughs. “We’re happily engaged! But that’s where the acting side of me comes in—I can tap into those emotions from a different perspective.”
The Masked Singer Effect
Orrantia’s confidence as a vocalist has been building for years, but The Masked Singer gave her another level of validation.
“I’ve never been more nervous in my life,” she admits. “Music has always been my first love, so stepping onto a stage in front of millions with something like I Will Always Love You—it was terrifying. But also thrilling.”
Performing covers on national TV reignited something in her.
“I grew up singing at festivals, only doing covers because I didn’t have originals yet. The Masked Singer felt like going back to that, but with way bigger stakes.”
Musicals, Motherhood (On-Screen), and What’s Next
And then there’s the musical theater bug. Over the summer, Orrantia played Nicola in Kinky Boots at the Hollywood Bowl, opposite Jake Shears.
“It was my first professional musical audition,” she says. “I caught the bug immediately.”
Now, she’s got her sights on a dream role: Velma Kelly in Chicago. “I told my agent—whenever that opportunity comes up, I want in.”
Meanwhile, The Goldbergs enters its tenth season, and her character Erica is headed into parenthood. “It’s gonna be hilarious,” she promises. “Bev Goldberg as a ‘grand-smother’? That writes itself.”
As for her music? Expect an EP in early 2023, plus acoustic versions of the new songs.
“I’m finally making the music I’ve always wanted to,” Orrantia says. “And I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
Watch the interview above and then check out the videos below.
