Video: The Sunshine State, ‘Favorite Person’

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The Sunshine State (Photo by Nick Monson)

Certain songs can making airing dirty laundry sound positively sublime, and “Favorite Person” is one of them.

At the confessional here is singer-songwriter Skyler Stonestreet, who is carving out her own space in the world of smart, bright pop under the name the Sunshine State. Co-written with Hayley Gene Penner and producer Nick Monson (the Lady Gaga collaborator and Grammy winner for the “A Star Is Born” soundtrack).

“Favorite Person” is the Sunshine State’s fifth single in just over a year. It’s a dreamlike expression of regrets about being trapped in a self-destructive relationship — “You were you were the worst / But you were / My favorite person,” she confides in her airy, intoxicating vocals.

“‘Favorite Person’ is two stories about essentially the same thing,” says Stonestreet, who released a handful of singles in 2018-19 under her own name in addition to her credits writing for the likes of Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, The Chainsmokers, Marshmello and others. “The details and names are different, but it’s the same feeling, and it’s very hard to leave when the one thing you really want is the worst thing for you.”

The video portrays one of those late-night sessions with a friend (Penner) where one might dissect the foibles of a relationship — the aftermath of having “looked the other way / when it wasn’t working” and a time to sway the pain away.

||| Watch: The video for “Favorite Person”

||| Previously: “Bob” and “Dating a Drug Dealer”