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Photo: Lucy Ketchum

These days, fledgling artists have more opportunities than ever to get their music in front of a host of audiences thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The sheer volume of hopeful TikTok musicians showcasing their talent on the app can feel overwhelming: so many original songs, so little time. Sometimes, though, an artist posts the right song at the right time, and just like that, it becomes “that” song you can’t seem to get out of your head.

Enter Vivi Rincon, a queer singer-songwriter whose single “if we lived on the moon” skyrocketed to over a million views after she shared it on her TikTok. The 21-year-old student at Berklee School of Music was praised for the nuance of her writing and the vulnerability behind her music, and in her newest single, “cant breathe,” produced by Matt Martin, she brings that same sincerity to the forefront of a sweeping and full-bodied indie-pop track. 

A brisk acoustic guitar and steady bass drum usher in Rincon’s sweet and cascading voice as the song begins, diving into a story of the frustrations and passions of young love. She taps into the uncertainty and insecurity of an electrifying relationship, two feelings that can be paralyzing in the face of an intense connection with someone but that just as easily become overpowered by the excitement and anticipation of being with someone you love. As a piano, strings, and electric guitar enter the fray, Rincon’s clear and controlled vocals take on a new sense of urgency and the composition swells into the chorus. “Don’t waste a minute I gotta have you / so used to quitting before the breakthrough / I’ll trade my parts in for a better me / I wanna hold you until you can’t breathe,” she sings.

Rincon channels both disappointment and fulfillment in her descriptions of gentle memories and whirlwind moments, weaving the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with being lovestruck into an undeniably catchy track. As a sophomore single, “cant breathe” is sure to leave you breathless and waiting for more.

Speaking further on the single, Rincon shares, "‘can’t breathe' is about the intensity of relationships. It’s about passion and love and losing yourself in someone else. Holding on so tightly out of fear that you might lose her, but willing to take the risk.”

Listen to "can't breathe" below: