{Photograph} by Sam Monendo
It’s no shock that Spotify has topped Isabel LaRosa—a Cuban-American singer-songwriter—as one in every of its Pop Rising Artists to Watch in 2024. With over two million streams per day throughout her catalog, the younger artist has been on a meteoric rise since dropping her first single within the fall of 2021. Final Friday marked the discharge of the music video for her hotly anticipated single, “Favourite,” by way of Slumbo Labs/RCA Information.
Even earlier than its official launch, “Favourite” had already amassed over 80,000 creations and garnered over 400 million views from user-generated content material on social media. All through her sold-out God’s Watching tour with labelmate Ari Abdul, and with teasing snippets on social media, LaRosa’s followers worldwide have been clamoring for the discharge of “Favourite.” The one showcases her signature darkish twist on a reggaeton beat, mixing English and Spanish lyrics in a compelling combine.
The music explores the depths of need and the craving to be the middle of somebody’s affection. The lyrics unfold as a heartfelt plea from LaRosa to her love curiosity, repeatedly asking to be their “favourite.” This repetition amplifies the depth of her longing and underscores the importance of holding a cherished place within the different particular person’s life. The refrain, “Darling, can I be your favourite?”, stands out as a direct and weak enchantment for recognition and a particular place of their coronary heart.
{Photograph} by Sam Monendo
The music additionally delves into themes of identification and adaptableness inside relationships. When LaRosa sings, “My identify is no matter you make it,” she hints at a readiness to rework herself to satisfy her love curiosity’s needs. This line serves as a metaphor for the compromises and adjustments people are prepared to make to please somebody they’re drawn to. It provokes reflection on the extent to which one ought to alter oneself for the sake of affection and highlights the dynamics of energy and management in romantic connections.
Talking of the inspiration behind her new music video, LaRosa tells Rolling Stone India that the plot “was drawn from a number of locations.”
“By way of the plot, I needed to seize the sensation of eager for one thing that in all probability isn’t good for you, however you’re nonetheless pursuing it anyhow,” she stated, including, “I needed to indicate that second if you see somebody and your world stops. I visually took plenty of inspiration from reveals like Euphoria and True Detective. An off-camera second that was memorable was the truth that all of the extras determined to smoke actual cigarettes as a substitute of faux ones, so all the room was in a haze. I in all probability nonetheless scent like a cigarette.”
The 19-year-old singer expressed that her “core followers” know she’s been desirous to do a video like this for thus lengthy. “I hope that they really feel simply as fulfilled as I do with it as each the music and the music video present a aspect of being a young person and rising up that everybody experiences, so I hope they really feel a connection to it as a result of it’s relatable to their life.”
{Photograph} by Sam Monendo
LaRosa’s success may be attributed to her refreshing vulnerability, a high quality that connects deeply with younger music fanatics. So far, she has almost one billion streams throughout audio platforms, together with virtually 300 million video streams and an astonishing 5 billion short-form video streams.
Final 12 months, LaRosa was handpicked as one in every of solely six artists for TikTok’s inaugural Elevate program, which affords help throughout the app and past, serving to rising skills form their careers past viral moments. The singer additionally carried out at TikTok within the Combine, a sold-out occasion at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona, streamed reside on TikTok to virtually 10 million viewers. Together with re-broadcasts, TikTok within the Combine shattered information with almost 34 million viewers worldwide.
You’ll be able to watch the “Favourite” music video right here:
