Clarity Liao’s new single Lose began as a sparse, Adele-inspired piano ballad. In the studio, upbeat drums and electric guitar changed its direction, setting the song’s jealousy and insecurity against a brighter pop sound.
The track is the focus single from her forthcoming debut EP, Dear…,, a seven-song collection framed as intimate letters about love, rejection, loneliness and letting go. On Lose, Liao confronts the fear that someone she cares for is falling for somebody else. Her comparisons with that person gradually give way to the possibility that the relationship she wants may never happen.
Liao explains:
This song is one of my favorites. It shows my jealousy and madness in a fun upbeat way. At first I was doubting the upbeat drums and electric guitar, aiming for a soft mellow vibe, but the more I stuck with the process, the more I understood what this letter was really trying to explain to the receiver.
Liao has written songs since the age of seven and was principal songwriter for Navillera across the band’s seven singles.
Now releasing music under her own name, she is letting each song’s emotional perspective guide its sound. On Lose, that means giving an uncomfortable feeling room to move.