Josh Ross’ ‘Hate How You Look’ is a throwback to past relationships & his parents’ music

Josh Ross says the sly undertone of his top-30 hit “Hate How You Look” draws from his real-life experience.

“I call it like my cheeky song in the sense that, like, I’ve been in the situation where I’ve broken up with somebody, then I like see them down the road and I’m like, ‘Gosh, she looks so good,'” he tells ABC Audio. “You almost like kind of hate that for yourself. That’s kind of the feeling from the song.”

The second single from his Later Tonight album also draws from his musical heritage.

“It’s a lot of my rock inspirations growing up. You know, my dad was big into hair metal and all different types of rock,” he says. “And my mom was more like traditional, Bruce Springsteen, U2, stuff like that. And I felt like that song just kinda has a little bit of all that in it.”

For Josh, “Hate How You Look” is a concert highlight.

“It’s fun for me to play,” he adds. “It’s probably my favorite song to play live right now.” 

He’s currently on his Later Tonight Tour, which wraps March 9 in Vancouver.