On My Playlist: No Reason (沒有理由) by Ryan.B & Effie

 
Ryan.B and Effie - No Reason (沒有理由) Album Cover

“No Reason” (沒有理由) by Ryan.B and Effie is a melancholic R&B/electropop duet released on April 10, 2018. The song explores fading love, emotional distance, and the silent breakdown of a relationship where neither partner is at fault. —Google

The lyrics is basically talking about a relationship losing its warmth, indicated by how the text messages lose their sweetness and conversations feel routine and distant. There’s really no dramatic fight or big betrayal either. Just two people realizing that they are slowly letting go of each other without a specific reason or someone being in the wrong, but still choose to stay because none of them have the courage to end the relationship. So they grow complacent and stop trying even though they know things have changed. And staying in a relationship that’s dying without any effort to fix it can make one feel really isolated and lonely inside.

Personally, it also begs the question of why do you keep staying then? Does staying in a dying relationship and feeling lonely inside better than letting go of a dying relationship and being single? Does relationship status has anything to do with it? Or is it just simply the cowardice of not being brave enough to end a relationship?

Ryan.B & Effie - No Reason (沒有理由) LYRICS:

(Mandarin / Pinyin / English)

🎵 Chorus:

沒有人可以去等待
Méiyǒu rén kěyǐ qù děngdài
There is no one to wait for

不知不覺的放開你
Bù zhī bù jué de fàngkāi nǐ
Unknowingly, I let you go

我們都沒有那勇氣 baby
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu nà yǒngqì baby
None of us had the courage, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely

*

我們都沒有錯與對
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu cuò yǔ duì
There is no right or wrong for us

找不到任何一個原因
Zhǎo bù dào rènhé yī gè yuányīn
We didn’t find any reason

沒有理由的離開 baby
Méiyǒu lǐyóu de líkāi baby
There’s no reason to leave, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely (yeah, yeah)

🎵 Verse 1:

看見信息不是不想回你
Kànjiàn xìnxī bù shì bù xiǎng huí nǐ
It’s not that I see your messages and want to respond

只是我們的對話少了一些甜蜜
Zhǐshì wǒmen de duìhuà shǎo le yīxiē tiánmì
Our conversation has just lost its appeal

看似很正常的語句 但透著距離
Kànshì hěn zhèngcháng de yǔjù dàn tòuzhe jùlí
We seem to talk normally, but, in reality, there is a distance

我不知道該怎麼對你 也許是正常的關係
Wǒ bù zhīdào gāi zěnme duì nǐ yěxǔ shì zhèngcháng de guānxì
I don’t know how to deal with you, maybe it’s just an ordinary relationship

*

我每時每刻都在告訴自己
Wǒ měi shí měi kè dōu zài gàosù zìjǐ
I keep telling myself all the time

我還是很愛你的只是 lonely
Wǒ hái shì hěn ài nǐ de zhǐ shì lonely
That I still love you, but feel lonely

不知道微信什麼時候開始沒有表情
Bù zhīdào wēixìn shénme shíhòu kāishǐ méiyǒu biǎoqíng
I don’t know when WeChat started lacking your emojis

你的上班時間多了 沒有那麼多的高興
Nǐ de shàngbān shíjiān duō le méiyǒu nàme duō de gāoxìng
Your work hours increased and you’re not so happy

🎵 Pre-Chorus:

回想起來 剛開始的時間
Huíxiǎng qǐlái gāng kāishǐ de shíjiān
I stop to reflect from the beginning

倆個人都在
Liǎ gè rén dōu zài
We were there

都想辦法離開
Dōu xiǎng bànfǎ líkāi
Trying to escape

沒有理由的
Méiyǒu lǐyóu de
For no reason

🎵 Chorus:

沒有人可以去等待
Méiyǒu rén kěyǐ qù děngdài
There is no one to wait for

不知不覺的放開你
Bù zhī bù jué de fàngkāi nǐ
Unknowingly, I let you go

我們都沒有那勇氣 baby
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu nà yǒngqì baby
None of us had the courage, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely

*

我們都沒有錯與對
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu cuò yǔ duì
There is no right or wrong for us

找不到任何一個原因
Zhǎo bù dào rènhé yī gè yuányīn
We didn’t find any reason

沒有理由的離開 baby
Méiyǒu lǐyóu de líkāi baby
There’s no reason to leave, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely (yeah)

🎵 Verse 2:

理由 理由 理由 理由
Lǐyóu lǐyóu lǐyóu lǐyóu
Reason, reason, reason, reason

再多 理由 無法 挽留
Zài duō lǐyóu wúfǎ wǎnliú
No matter how many reasons, we can’t reverse it

愛情 愛情 愛情 愛情
Àiqíng àiqíng àiqíng àiqíng
Love, love, love, love

再多 理由 說停 就停
Zài duō lǐyóu shuō tíng jiù tíng
No matter how many reasons, if it stops, it stops

🎵 Pre-Chorus:

回想起來 剛開始的時間
Huíxiǎng qǐlái gāng kāishǐ de shíjiān
I stop to reflect from the beginning

倆個人都在
Liǎ gè rén dōu zài
We were there

都想辦法離開
Dōu xiǎng bànfǎ líkāi
Trying to escape

沒有理由的
Méiyǒu lǐyóu de
For no reason

🎵 Chorus:

沒有人可以去等待
Méiyǒu rén kěyǐ qù děngdài
There is no one to wait for

不知不覺的放開你
Bù zhī bù jué de fàngkāi nǐ
Unknowingly, I let you go

我們都沒有那勇氣 baby
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu nà yǒngqì baby
None of us had the courage, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely

*

我們都沒有錯與對
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu cuò yǔ duì
There is no right or wrong for us

找不到任何一個原因
Zhǎo bù dào rènhé yī gè yuányīn
We didn’t find any reason

沒有理由的離開 baby
Méiyǒu lǐyóu de líkāi baby
There’s no reason to leave, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely

🎵 Bridge:

Yeah-yeah, woo-oo-oo, hum
I’m so lonely
Yeah-yeah, woo-oo-oo, hum, uh-hum
(Ah, ah)

🎵 Chorus:

沒有人可以去等待
Méiyǒu rén kěyǐ qù děngdài
There is no one to wait for

不知不覺的放開你
Bù zhī bù jué de fàngkāi nǐ
Unknowingly, I let you go

我們都沒有那勇氣 baby
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu nà yǒngqì baby
None of us had the courage, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely

*

我們都沒有錯與對
Wǒmen dōu méiyǒu cuò yǔ duì
There is no right or wrong for us

找不到任何一個原因
Zhǎo bù dào rènhé yī gè yuányīn
We didn’t find any reason

沒有理由的離開 baby
Méiyǒu lǐyóu de líkāi baby
There’s no reason to leave, baby

I’m sorry, I’m so lonely

🎵 Outro:

(Woo-oo-oo, woo-oo-oo)
(Woo-oo-oo-oo)
I’m sorry, I’m so lonely
(Woo-oo-oo, woo-oo-oo)
(Woo-oo-oo-oo-oo)

See the live performance of Ryan.B singing this song in Hangzhou in 2025.

I think I’ve first heard this song years ago when it first became popular but never really found out who sang it and what the title is. Last year (or maybe the year before I can’t exactly remember), the song’s popularity resurged again (or maybe it never went away and I just didn’t know) and it went viral on social media because a lot of people is using this track for their videos. The song got stuck in my head because I saw so many online videos using this track and at some point, it actually made its way to my playlist because Spotify recommended the track to me (and that’s also how I found out who the singer is and what the title of the song is). It’s a 8-year old song but it’s one of the tracks I still play these days. Anybody else still has this song in their playlist too in 2026? 

 

 
 

On My Playlist: Take My Heart (ฝากใจ) by Ink Warutorn

 
Ink Waruton - Take My Heart (ฝากใจ) Album Cover

“ฝากใจ” (Fak Jai) or “Take My Heart” in English is a Thai pop song released by Ink Waruntorn under Boxx Music on May 9, 2025. Celebrated by fans as a rare, genuine sweet love song from her, it captures the deep feeling of being lucky to receive someone’s love. —Genius.com

Official MV:

I actually first heard of this song when LingOrm (Lingling Kwong & Orm Kornnaphat) performed a cover of the song during their ‘Only You, Only Us, Only Now’ fan meeting (on July 19, 2025, at the MCC Hall, 3rd Floor, The Mall Lifestore Bangkapi in Bangkok) which served as a major launch event for their second series ‘Only You’. I liked the song so much, I ended up searching for who the original singer is and that’s how this song made it to my playlist.

See the fancam below of LingOrm’s cover performance from the fan meet.

Ink Warutorn - ฝากใจ (Take My Heart) Lyrics:

(Thai / Royin / Phonetic Romanization / English)

VERSE 1:

เธอชอบพูดว่าเธอนั้นโชคดี
Thoe chop phut wa thoe nan chok di
Teēr châāwp pôōt wâā teēr nán chôūhk-deē
You always say you’re lucky

ที่ชีวิตได้พบเจอกับฉัน
Thi chiwit dai phop choe kap chan
Têē cheē-wít dâī póp zheēr gàp chăn
To have met me in your life

แต่รู้บ้างหรือเปล่าว่าฉันโชคดีกว่า
Tae ru bang rue plao wa chan chok di kwa
Dtàāe róō bàāng rĕū bplàāo wâā chăn chôūhk-deē gwàā
But do you know I’m even luckier

ที่ได้รับความรักจากเธอ
Thi dai rap khwam rak chak thoe
Têē dâī ráp kwaām rák zhàāk teēr
To receive love from you

*

เธอชอบพูดว่าเธอไม่เข้าใจ
Thoe chop phut wa thoe mai khao chai
Teēr châāwp pôōt wâā teēr máī kâu zhai
You often say you don’t understand

ว่าฉันนั้นชอบเธอที่ตรง ไหน
Wa chan nan chop thoe thi trong nai
Wâā chăn nán châāwp teēr têē dtrong năi
Why I like you or which part of you

ก็ชอบที่เป็นเธอ
Ko chop thi pen thoe
Gâw châāwp têē bpen teēr
But I just love that you’re you

แค่เธอเป็นเธอก็พอแล้ว
Khae thoe pen thoe ko pho laeo
Kâāe teēr bpen teēr gâw paāw láōu
Just being yourself is more than enough

PRE-CHORUS:

ฉันก็ไม่รู้ว่าอนาคตเป็นอย่างไร
Chan ko mai ru wa anakhot pen yang rai
Chăn gâw mâi róō wâā à-naā-kót bpen yàāng rai
I don’t know what the future holds

จะไม่นึกย้อนเสียใจ
Cha mai nuek yon sia jai
Zhà máī néuk yáāwn sĭā zhai
But I won’t look back with regret

เลือกกี่ครั้งก็เหมือนเดิม
Lueak ki khrang ko muean doem
Lêūak gèē kráng gâw mĕūan deērm
No matter how many times I choose

ใจฉันเลือกเธอไปแล้ว
Jai chan lueak thoe pai laeo
Zhai chăn lêūak teēr bpai láōu
My heart already chose you

CHORUS:

ฝากใจฉันไว้ที่เธอ
Fak jai chan wai thi thoe
Fàāk zhai chăn wái têē teēr
I leave my heart with you

ฝากให้เธอช่วยดูแล
Fak hai thoe chuai du lae
Fàāk hâi teēr chûay doō laāe
Please take care of it for me

ฉันไม่อ้อนวอนอะไรเธอมากมาย
Chan mai on won arai thoe mak mai
Chăn máī âāwn-waāwn à rai teēr mâāk-maāi
I’m not asking for much

แค่ช่วยอยู่กับฉันตลอดไป
Khae chuai yu kap chan talot pai
Kâāe chûay yòō gàp chăn dtà-làāwt bpai
Just stay with me forever

*

ฝากใจฉันไว้ที่เธอ
Fak jai chan wai thi thoe
Fàāk zhai chăn wái têē teēr
I leave my heart with you

ฝากให้เธอช่วยดูแล
Fak hai thoe chuai du lae
Fàāk hâi teēr chûay doō laāe
Please take care of it for me

ขอเธอไม่ลืม ขอให้เธอจดจำไว้
Khor thoe mai luem khor hai thoe chot cham wai
Kăāw teēr mâi leūm kăāw hâi teēr zhòt-zham wái
Please don’t forget, please always remember

จากนี้ หัวใจฉันอยู่ที่เธอแล้ว
Chak ni hua jai chan yu thi thoe laeo
Zhàāk nêē hŭūa zhai chăn yòō têē teēr láōu
From now on, my heart belongs to you

VERSE 2:

เธอรู้ไหมที่แท้โชคชะตา
Thoe ru mai thi thae chok chata
Teēr róō măi têē táāe chôūhk-chá-dtaā
Do you know fate only

ก็แค่พาเธอพบเจอกับฉัน
Ko khae pha thoe phop choe kap chan
Gâw kâāe paā teēr póp zheēr gàp chăn
Led you to meet me

แต่ที่เรารักกัน
Tae thi rao rak kan
Dtàāe têē rau rák gan
But the reason we fell in love

มันเกิดขึ้นได้เพราะฉันกับเธอ
Man koet khuen dai phro chan kap thoe
Man gèērt-kêun dâī práw chăn gàp teēr
Is because of both you and me

PRE-CHORUS:

ฉันก็ไม่รู้ว่าอนาคตเป็นอย่างไร
Chan ko mai ru wa anakhot pen yang rai
Chăn gâw mâi róō wâā à-naā-kót bpen yàāng rai
I don’t know what the future holds

จะไม่นึกย้อนเสียใจ
Cha mai nuek yon sia jai
Zhà máī néuk yáāwn sĭā zhai
But I won’t look back with regret

เลือกกี่ครั้งก็เหมือนเดิม
Lueak ki khrang ko muean doem
Lêūak gèē kráng gâw mĕūan deērm
No matter how many times I choose

ใจฉันเลือกเธอไปแล้ว
Jai chan lueak thoe pai laeo
Zhai chăn lêūak teēr bpai láōu
My heart already chose you

CHORUS:

ฝากใจฉันไว้ที่เธอ
Fak jai chan wai thi thoe
Fàāk zhai chăn wái têē teēr
I leave my heart with you

ฝากให้เธอช่วยดูแล
Fak hai thoe chuai du lae
Fàāk hâi teēr chûay doō laāe
Please take care of it for me

ฉันไม่อ้อนวอนอะไรเธอมากมาย
Chan mai on won arai thoe mak mai
Chăn máī âāwn-waāwn à rai teēr mâāk-maāi
I’m not asking for much

แค่ช่วยอยู่กับฉันตลอดไป
Khae chuai yu kap chan talot pai
Kâāe chûay yòō gàp chăn dtà-làāwt bpai
Just stay with me forever

*

ฝากใจฉันไว้ที่เธอ
Fak jai chan wai thi thoe
Fàāk zhai chăn wái têē teēr
I leave my heart with you

ฝากให้เธอช่วยดูแล
Fak hai thoe chuai du lae
Fàāk hâi teēr chûay doō laāe
Please take care of it for me

ขอเธอไม่ลืม ขอให้เธอจดจำไว้
Khor thoe mai luem khor hai thoe chot cham wai
Kăāw teēr mâi leūm kăāw hâi teēr zhòt-zham wái
Please don’t forget, please always remember

จากนี้ หัวใจฉันอยู่ที่เธอแล้ว
Chak ni hua jai chan yu thi thoe laeo
Zhàāk nêē hŭūa zhai chăn yòō têē teēr láōu
From now on, my heart belongs to you

BRIDGE:

ฉันขอสัญญาว่าจะไม่ไปไหน
Chan khor sanya wa cha mai pai nai
Chăn kăāw săn-yaā wâā zhà máī bpai năi
I promise I won’t leave you

เธอไม่ต้องกลัวว่าฉันจะหายไป
Thoe mai tong klua wa chan cha hai pai
Teēr mâi-dtâāwng-gluūa wâā chăn zhà hăāi bpai
No need to fear I’ll disappear

ฉันพร้อมและมอบหัวใจฉันฝากไว้ที่เธอแล้ว
Chan phrom lae mop hua jai chan fak wai thi thoe laeo
Chăn práāwm láe mâāwp hŭūa zhai chăn fàāk wái têē teēr láōu
I’m ready and I’ve already given you my heart

ฉันขอสัญญาว่าจะไม่ไปไหน
Chan khor sanya wa cha mai pai nai
Chăn kăāw săn-yaā wâā zhà máī bpai năi
I promise I won’t leave you

เธอไม่ต้องกลัวว่าฉันจะหายไป
Thoe mai tong klua wa chan cha hai pai
Teēr mâi-dtâāwng-gluūa wâā chăn zhà hăāi bpai
No need to fear I’ll disappear

ฉันพร้อมและมอบหัวใจฉันฝากไว้ที่เธอแล้ว
Chan phrom lae mop hua jai chan fak wai thi thoe laeo
Chăn práāwm láe mâāwp hŭūa zhai chăn fàāk wái têē teēr láōu
I’m ready and I’ve already given you my heart

CHORUS:

ฝากใจฉันไว้ที่เธอ
Fak jai chan wai thi thoe
Fàāk zhai chăn wái têē teēr
I leave my heart with you

ฝากให้เธอช่วยดูแล
Fak hai thoe chuai du lae
Fàāk hâi teēr chûay doō laāe
Please take care of it for me

ฉันไม่อ้อนวอนอะไรเธอมากมาย
Chan mai on won arai thoe mak mai
Chăn máī âāwn-waāwn à rai teēr mâāk-maāi
I’m not asking for much

แค่ช่วยอยู่กับฉันตลอดไป
Khae chuai yu kap chan talot pai
Kâāe chûay yòō gàp chăn dtà-làāwt bpai
Just stay with me forever

*

ฝากใจฉันไว้ที่เธอ
Fak jai chan wai thi thoe
Fàāk zhai chăn wái têē teēr
I leave my heart with you

ฝากให้เธอช่วยดูแล
Fak hai thoe chuai du lae
Fàāk hâi teēr chûay doō laāe
Please take care of it for me

ขอเธอไม่ลืม ขอให้เธอจดจำไว้
Khor thoe mai luem khor hai thoe chot cham wai
Kăāw teēr mâi leūm kăāw hâi teēr zhòt-zham wái
Please don’t forget, please always remember

จากนี้ หัวใจฉันอยู่ที่เธอแล้ว
Chak ni hua jai chan yu thi thoe laeo
Zhàāk nêē hŭūa zhai chăn yòō têē teēr láōu
From now on, my heart belongs to you

Lyrics Source: Genius.com & Woooobk Youtube Channel

 

 
 

On My Playlist: Yesterday by Jay Park

 

“Yesterday” by Jay Park (박재범) was produced by Cha Cha Malone & Chucky Kim and was released on February 13, 2023.

This was actually the most played track on my Spotify playlist in 2023. 😆

“On February 13, the 35-year-old musician dropped his new single ‘Yesterday’ alongside with a music video featuring South Korean actress Lee Yoo-mi, who is best known for starring in Netflix series Squid Game and All Of Us Are Dead.”
NME.com

 

 
 

On My Playlist: Sweatpants by Lauv

 

Sweatpants is the 12th track of Lauv’s debut studio album ~how i'm feeling~ that was released on March 6, 2020.

 

 
 

On My Playlist: Beautiful Scars by Maximillian

 

About the Song

The 20-year-old promising Danish act Maximillian, has just started 2019 with a personal but simply hypnotic new single “Beautiful Scars”. A perfect mix between the honest lyrics (about his past and his own flaws and mistakes) and the earworming melody of it that will be stuck in your mind for ages.

“I made a lot of bad decisions, hung out with the wrong people and did a lot of things I regret. I literally lived a life on the edge at the age of 13 and “Beautiful Scars” is me facing my life growing up. It’s about how I used to behave and treat people around me. How we all have inner demons that sometimes burst out in the world with no warning,” Maximillian explains.

Maximillian embraces this wonderful trend in which pop is becoming more and more honest: “I believe it’s important to embrace your demons. No one’s perfect –so embrace that –and live your life as good as you possibly can!

Vibe of Silence

Some of my personal favorite lyrics:

🎵

Broken all the pieces I've been shaping lately
Focused on the things that didn't make no sense
Guess that growing up was never meant to be easy

🎵

I went down a road that only got me nowhere
I've seen every corner, every inch of this place
Being all alone it really got me thinking, maybe overthinking

Although Maximillian is talking about the mistakes and bad decisions that he’s made in his past, I also feel sometimes when life’s not going the way you imagine it to be, or when life isn’t making sense and you feel lost, you got to break down all the things that you know up to that point of your life before you can have a new start and gain a new perspective. Because, like they say, if you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result, that’s insanity and you won’t be able to grow from that.

And sometimes being all alone is the exact thing you need to grow. In this current world that’s constantly filled with new content every single second that’s screaming for your attention, you barely got time to think, let alone overthink (although it’s probably not a problem if you’re an overthinker by nature I suppose).

Thinking in peace without having to worry that the world will run and left you behind is, in my opinion, a luxury. Being able to stay still is something that you have to intentionally choose to do. And admittedly, it’s scary being alone with your most honest inner thoughts because sometimes (most of the time, really), every single emotions within you that you usually numbed down with the distractions of this world will bubble up to the surface.

And then, you’ll actually feel.

It’ll be intense and uncomfortable and (sometimes) painful because the only thing you’re focusing on is your feelings. But if you’re brave enough to face your own fears and be honest with your feelings, it’ll also give you a sense of clarity about what you want and what you need in your life.

Growing up is a never ending process that we’ll have to go through all of our life and it’s certainly not easy.

🎵

Oh, but what is lost ain't gone
No, you can't just let go
'Cause it's a part of you that will make you strong
Embrace your flaws

I believe every bad decisions, mistakes, sadness, pain, anger and heartbreaks in your past certainly made you who you are today. I know people usually say you should let all the negative things that has happened in your life go and forget about it. Although I do believe in letting things go, I also believe that letting things go doesn’t mean that you have to forget all about it because sometimes, things that happened to us will keep us humble, grounded and in touch with the reality of this world. They teach us to be smarter, to be better, and to be stronger.

Every bad decisions, mistakes, sadness, pain, anger and heartbreaks in your past certainly made you who you are today, but they certainly don’t define your future.

🎵

I'm not gonna fight back what I've become
Yeah, I've got bruises where I came from
I've been going way too hard on myself
Guess that it's the reason I've been feeling like hell
But I wouldn't change if I could restart
I ain't gonna hide these beautiful scars

Being a perfectionist and an idealist at heart, embracing my flaws is something that I’m still learning to do. It took me a quite while to accept that as much as I want to do good, sometimes I fell short because I’m a mere imperfect human. And it’s okay to have flaws because it makes me human. I took me even longer to realize that sometimes I really do go way too hard on myself (and yes, it’s definitely one of the reason why it felt like hell during those times).

Have I embraced my flaws fully? No, not really. I still have to make a conscious decision to do it every single time. But now, I think it gets a little easier for me. Especially when I have people around me who’s letting me be vulnerable and, well, imperfect. People who accept my flaws with nothing but listening ears and silent understanding. People who teaches me how to go easier on myself and love myself a little more. I’m thankful for those people.

One thing that I fully agree with this song is that every single one of these beautiful (battle) scars that I have, have made me who I am today.

Would I change anything if I could restart?

Honestly?

Probably.

There are some painful chapters in my life that I wish I never gone through. But then again, if I skipped those chapters, I probably won’t be who I am today now, am I?

Watch the MV:

 

 
 

On My Playlist: Sumthin Bout Love by Belanegara Abe ft. Kaleb J & Rayi Putra

 
 

 
 

On My Playlist: Kids Are Born Stars by Lauv

 

About the Song

The upbeat track is about a girl Lauv crushed on when he was a middle schooler and how he shared his prophesy that he was “going to be a really big star.” The music video sees the current version of the singer interacting with his younger self and helping him recover from a broken heart.

The song and its music video are also nostalgia bombs, with respective references to defunct messaging services, as well as featuring styles from the early aughts.

“When I started making this album, I was doing a lot of inner child meditation work and this song was me getting back in touch with my 8th grade self and giving him a little dose of confidence because Lord knows he would’ve needed it back then,” Lauv said in a statement. “As an adult I had lost touch with my sense of confidence too and making this song and the whole album helped me get back in touch with the person I really am.” —wrmf.com

 

 
 

On My Playlist: High School in Jakarta by Niki

 

About the song

“High School in Jakarta” revisits Indonesian singer-songwriter NIKI’s high school years. After revelling the challenge of maintaining a long-distance relationship and the end of this relationship in the videos of “Before” and “Oceans & Engines,” the video of the third and final single off NIKI’s sophomore album depicts how the young couple fell in love in high school.

As a prequel to the previous music videos, from a nostalgic lens, we see how NIKI and her ex-lover met in the drama club, how they fell in love, and how they came up with their couple handshake, which also appeared in the previous videos. The music video of the song stars NIKI as her teenage self and co-stars Peter Adrian Sudarso, who plays her ex-boyfriend throughout these videos.

Interestingly, NIKI’s 88rising labelmates Warren Hue, Rich Brian, Brian’s girlfriend Vanteyy, Warren Hue’s frequent collaborator Chasu and NIKI’s boyfriend Jacob Ray all make cameo appearances in the video in a yearbook photo shoot scene.

Genius.com

Reading the lyrics of Niki’s ‘High School in Jakarta’ feels like reading Niki’s journal entry from her high school days. From the mention of some familiar names that we know are her friends in real life, the multiple goodbyes she experienced when her friends moved away, new hellos that led to budding friendships, as well as typical teenage dramas and emotional roller coaster that she (and I bet all of us) experienced in high school, the song feels very personal and once again gave me a nostalgic feeling to my own high school days. I think everybody who went (or goes) to some sort of international school, bilingual school, national plus school (or whatever names they are calling it these days) in Jakarta can probably relate to lyrics of this song (believe me, there are lots of familiar scenes here).

Some of my personal favorites:


Now there's drama, found a club for that
Where I met ya, had a heart attack
Yadda, yadda

I think these lines are funny and cleverly written. Drama is probably the main ingredient of all high school life all around the world.


High school in Jakarta, sorta modern Sparta
Had no chance against the teenage suburban armadas

“Here, NIKI is alluding to the strains of high school society on relationships as similar to a present-time Sparta. Relationships that start during high school rarely make it through the brutalities of “war” (drama, gossip, expectations), and those that do are admirable.

“Had no chance against the teenage suburban armadas”, illustrates again, the cruel and relentless fleet of 16-18/19 years old [in Indonesia, high school is 3 years instead of 4) constantly weighing in on the subjects' relationship.” —Genius.com

I mean, high school in Jakarta could be pretty brutal fo sho. When your whole life is centered around school and friends from school (which probably what 99% of Indonesians experienced during their high school days, or at least knowing about where Niki went to school when she was in Jakarta, I believe she probably did experience this) it can definitely equates to going to war and winning daily social battles with fellow teenagers who live mostly in suburbia. I think ‘modern Sparta’ and ‘teenage suburban armadas’ illustrate the experience perfectly.


We were a sonata, thanks to tight-lipped fathers.

“NIKI describes the subjects' love as a sonata, a musical composition whose form is careful and intricate, allowing a compilation of multiple unique movements in a related key. Meaning, the couple had to be wary of how they carried their relationship, especially around their fathers who were guarded and hard to read.”—Genius.com

A little nod to Asian dads (or maybe dads in general) who are usually more reserved and less open about emotions in front for their kids and usually protective towards their daughters.


High school in Jakarta, sorta modern Sparta

High school in Jakarta, an elaborate saga
High school in Jakarta, a comedy drama
High school in Jakarta, American summer

Also love how she comes up with these categories on different verses. High school days were definitely a war, a saga, a comedy drama, and after experiencing that all year long, if you’re lucky enough, you’ll end the school year with spending the long summer break in America (it’s a pretty popular common holiday destination for those with that privilege).

Watch the full MV below:

Also, the official lyric video:

The yearbook quotes on this picture were pretty fun to read.

Now that the third song has been released, Niki announced that all her three recent releases are part of a short film that will be released soon. Read about the details on the caption of her Instagram post below.

 

 
 

On My Playlist: Oceans & Engines by Niki

 

About The Song

“Wrote this song in 2016 when I was 17 experiencing the earth-shattering heartbreak of a first love moving away for good. It is massively dramatic & long with a naïveté & innocence I look back on fondly now at 23. Like she had no idea about what was going to happen. Like the fact that after writing it in bed at ungodly hours of an 11th grade weeknight snacking on stale cereal she would eventually revisit the song and release it years later. Life can be quite cyclical at times and that has become painfully obvious throughout the process of re-working these songs that are some years old now. Can’t wait for you all to hear each one nestled in the plush & pillowy company of sister songs when the album drops in August but in the mean time, here’s a second snippet of my favorite thing I’ve made so far.” —Niki via Instagram

Watch the music video here: (It’s giving me a nostalgic, innocent first love vibes)

Been a fan of Niki and her self-written song lyrics that have always been written beautifully. This one is probably one of my new favorite out of all her new works. Some of my favorite parts from this song:


Fingers entwined and so were our minds
Cryin', "I don't want you to go"

Have been moved around and experienced goodbyes quite frequently in my life, I’m pretty sure this has happened to me more than once. Goodbyes always suck. Even suckier when you found somebody who you feel connected to.


But I'm stickin' to the screenplay
Gotta say I'm okay, but answer this, babe
How is it now that, somehow, you're a strangеr?
You were mine just yesterday

But life goes on. Whether you want to admit it or not, distance does change things. As much as you want to try to keep things the way they were, at one point, somebody who’s close to you can easily become a stranger overnight.


But heaven denied
Destiny decried
Somethin' beautiful died
Too soon

This part is just beautifully written.


But I'm lettin' go
I'm givin' up the ghost
But don't get me wrong
I'll always love you, that's why I
Wrote you this very last song
I guess this is where we say goodbye
I know I'll be alright
Someday, I'll be fine
But just not tonight (Ooh)

Also this chorus that’s filled with heartbreak, fondness and acceptance of a closed chapter summed up what life and love are all about.

 

 
 

On My Playlist: Glimpse of Us by Joji