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Hailee Steinfeld on “Pitch Perfect 3” and Her AMAs 2017 Performance

The AMAs performance will be a special one for Hailee, as it will be the first time she performs the song live, let alone with her “Let Me Go” teammates all on the same stage. It also marks the start of a very busy season for the singer and actress, who is gearing up to promote the new Transformers movie, Bumblebee, as well as Pitch Perfect 3. So how does she balance two headline-making careers simultaneously? And what is she most looking forward to at the AMAs? Teen Vogue caught up with her ahead of the show, airing November 19 on ABC, to find out.

First of all, how are rehearsals going for your AMAs performance? How is performing it going to differ from hearing it on the radio?
I’m excited. This’ll be the first time I perform this song live and it’ll be insane to have everyone from the record on the stage performing this song for the first time. That’s something I’m really looking forward to. It’s been so incredible to watch this song grow. Being away and making a movie is always complicated when you have a record out and you want to spend time with it and perform it and travel. But it’s been doing its own thing and I can’t thank my fans enough for truly embracing it and embracing me and showing so much love and support.

You’ve done a few collaborations now. How do you decide which artists to work with each time?
I guess a lot of it has to do with timing. For me, with this track, working with Florida Georgia Line and Alesso… They are three artists that I happen to be very big fans of. I met Alesso a while back and we worked on a couple of different records together. I have listened to Florida Georgia Line for a long time … And Watt of course, he’s on the record as well; he’s a really good friend of mine. It just came together. I heard [the song] and I knew that this was so special; Florida Georgia Line heard it and they loved it. Wejust sort of, in the midst of an award show, made the decision to jump on this record and we did and I couldn’t be happier.

That feels like a full-circle moment, then, given that the AMAs is also an award show. Do you have a favorite AMAs memory or your own?
The AMAs never disappoint. There is always something wild that happens that is worth talking about at the end of the day and there are so many incredible performances. I feel like people truly go all out for the AMAs. I’ve been there as a fan, I’ve been there as a presenter, and now I’m going to be there as a performer and I really can’t even comprehend that.

What does the message of “Let Me Go” mean to you?
More than ever in the last couple months in my life, I’ve experienced what it’s like to try and maintain a relationship while working. And I think that goes for everyone — whether they are working or in school or wherever they are and whoever it is they’re doing it with, a significant other or a best friend — you realize that when you love someone so much and you can’t give them the time, and the energy that they deserve, it’s heartbreaking. People have said “Let Me Go” feels like a breakup song but it really is a love song and it’s about loving that person so much that all you want to do is see them happy and see them with somebody that makes them happy. Continue reading “Hailee Steinfeld on “Pitch Perfect 3” and Her AMAs 2017 Performance”