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Surrendered into her bedsheets and at full mercy of a heart too tender, Katherine Li’s latest EP, Isn’t It Obvious, is an ode to the recovering overthinkers and overlovers. 

20-year-old Toronto-based Katherine Li has racked up millions of streams and hundreds of thousands of followers, a testament to her songwriting ability, above all else. Her sad chill pop songs paint immersive imagery, using emotions to color scenes of longing and heartbreak.

The project’s lead single “If I Weren’t Me” confronts a question we’ve all been tempted to wager, questioning whether masking the nuance of ourselves would be an easier route to love. It’s through Li’s bravery in singing aloud that the world is given permission to remember the miracle of who we are rather than the rejection of someone who simply doesn’t speak our language.

Li leans into the subtle miracle of storytelling, which is why she’s so quickly been able to amass the following she has in a little over a year. Girls all over the globe are getting the words to validate the burning of love’s most acidic yet character-developing tropes, from unrequited love to healing from a situationship. “Like Me, Like Me” tells one of those very stories, getting tangled in the confusion of decoding someone’s intentions. Are you polite by nature or kind to me especially? Do you like me or do you like, like me?

Following her North American stint on Hayley Kiyoko’s 'Panorama Tour,' 2023 has undeniably been Li’s year. As this EP only further proves, she does it for the girls not yet brave enough to confess their crush out loud but hopeful enough to practice the choreography in their blankets by their lonesome.

Listen to Isn't It Obvious below: