There are arguably fewer things more painful than breaking up a friendship you were truly invested in. Years of shared experiences, funny stories, “we almost died” type of anecdotes, and so on, are all of a sudden tossed in the bin. You start feeling nostalgic now that you realize you can no longer text that person you once fully trusted to share a stupid little thing that just happened or to cry over how stressful your day was. You also start feeling a bit lonely and awkward now that your go-to person is not one text away. However, maybe one of the most overpowering emotions is rage from knowing the person holding the other end of the rope decided to let go to prioritize a romantic fling. That’s what Chloe Lilac’s first single of the year, “10 Things,” is all about.
With a pop-punk energy, Lilac’s alluring vocals jump right at the listener as the prechorus sets off a nice bed of guitars and an almost trap beat while she sings, “Fuck me up, I let you back in / leave me when you get a boyfriend / count them up, I’m losing track of it all.” You can certainly feel the reaction to the betrayal and lack of interest from Lilac’s performance, especially when she shouts, “There’s way more than 10 things I hate about you […] you used to be my best friend.”
The up-and-comer explains she “wrote 10 things about a bad friend I had throughout my life and finally realizing it wasn’t healthy for me to keep them around anymore. It can be so frustrating when a close friend prioritizes a relationship above your friendship. Best friend breakups are one of the most painful things you can go through, especially when you feel let down by someone you trust so much.”
Having released a fearless, anthemic collection of tracks in 2020 with her sophomore EP DOUCHEBAG, this new era of music will fortify her position as one of the most exciting new talents in the alt/pop scene. She’s also proven to be a jack of all trades and an artistic and resourceful powerhouse, especially when it comes to self-directing and self-shooting music videos as she did during the uncertainty of the past year.
However, as enlightening as last year was for Lilac, she told EUPHORIA. how much she’s missed performing live. She explains, “I can’t wait to get back on the road!! I really love all the new songs and I miss tour so much. The only thing is I’m kind of scared of catching the variants and keeping everyone safe. Other than that I can’t WAIT to tour again!”
Her excitement is palpable as live shows are coming back, and we can only imagine how amazing it will be when we are able to scream our lungs out to this song, especially understanding it’s served the purpose of healing after a friend breakup. About the aftermath of the experience, Lilac explains, “Parting ways with the person in this song was the right decision! People grow apart. Also the friendship was toxic for a long time. I made the healthy decision AND got a good song out of it!”
With the challenges of being a young rising star, the eyes of many are on Lilac, and her upcoming projects will not disappoint.