Katherine Li: The Artist of Yearning

Now that we’ve entered February, the obnoxious bright colors of red and pink fill up every bulletin board, lamp post, and aisle in the grocery store. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and for those of us that unsubtly roll our eyes at happy couples or pout at the sight of anything heart-shaped, music can be a great escape/embrace to heal us from our Valentine’s Day blues. One artist in particular is an essential part of my heartbroken club mix, Katherine Li. 

Katherine Li is a Chinese-Canadian singer-songwriter. I first came across her music in 2022, when a video of hers popped up on my FYP with the text, “OH MY GOD you’re falling for the person you never had a chance with,” which was then followed by her playing a sample of her song, “Never Had a Chance.” This song ended up everywhere on all of my social media pages, and it is currently her top-charted song on Spotify, with 40.9 million streams.

I immediately was hooked on her music after listening to this song. I started to follow her on YouTube and Instagram, while simultaneously listening to other singles she had released at the time, such as “We Didn’t Even Date,” and “Happening Again,” which would all later be put together in her EP “Crush(ed).”

Her music was the perfect space for the hopeless romantic that I was at fifteen. It centers around loving someone from afar, overthinking every little detail, and wondering if someone would like you if you weren’t you. Her music is the perfect mixture of heartache and yearning. In her song “I Don’t Care,” she sings about not caring that she has never been in a relationship, and that it doesn’t bother her that all of her friends have been in happy romantic relationships. Evidently, the song is sung with a sarcastic undertone, with lyrics like, “I couldn’t care less / ‘Cause who would want somebody / Who would treat them like the best?” indicating that she does think about romance frequently. As the song progresses, she wonders if craving heartbreak is something that is “okay” for her to feel, a thought that deeply resonates with my thoughts on romance. Outside of her music, Li’s personality and fanbase interactions amplify my support for her art. From having Zoom concerts or letting her fans create some of her merchandise, Li’s fun and kind nature make her a well-rounded artist. 

If you ever need any songs to scream when you’re alone in your car because the guy you’re texting is sending mixed signals, or if your hallway crush glanced at you today, I totally recommend her music. Her latest EP, “Mr. Get Any Girl,” has the perfect vibes for these situations.

• #heartbreak
• #katherineli
• #music
• #singersongwriter
• #spotify
• #valentinesday
• #yearning