Emerging singer-songwriter Clarity Liao steps further into her solo era with ‘Lose’, the focus single from her forthcoming debut EP ‘Dear…,’ a seven-track collection shaped around intimate musical letters exploring love, jealousy, rejection, loneliness and the difficult process of letting go.
An upbeat pop track with an emotionally complicated core, ‘Lose’ captures the turmoil of watching someone you care about appear to drift towards somebody else. The song grew from Clarity’s own heartache over a boy she deeply cared for, and the jealousy that surfaced when another girl seemed to embody everything she feared she lacked. What begins with comparison and projection gradually develops into a more accepting realisation that the relationship she wants may never become a reality.
Musically, ‘Lose’ draws from indie pop, R&B, bedroom pop, contemporary singer-songwriter music and modern doo-wop, giving the track a distinct character while keeping Clarity’s candid storytelling at its centre. The song was initially conceived as a stripped-back piano ballad inspired by Adele, with the emotional weight left largely exposed. In the studio, however, the arrangement took a different direction, with upbeat drums and electric guitar transforming the song into something more energetic and playful.
That contrast between the buoyancy of the production and the vulnerability of the lyrics becomes central to ‘Lose’. Beneath its upbeat surface, the track explores jealousy, insecurity, obsession and the frustration of wanting to be seen by someone who may not feel the same way.
“This song is one of my favorites,” Clarity explains. “It shows my jealousy and madness in a fun upbeat way. At first I was doubting the upbeat drums and electric guitar, aiming for a soft mellow vibe, but the more I stuck with the process, the more I understood what this letter was really trying to explain to the receiver.”
The result is a song built around emotional contradiction. There is excitement in the possibility of being chosen, anxiety in the fear of losing someone, and frustration in comparing yourself with another person. Yet beneath those feelings sits a quieter recognition that not every desire can be fulfilled, and that moving forward sometimes means accepting what cannot be changed.
The release also marks another chapter in Clarity’s development as a songwriter. She began writing songs at the age of seven and later became the principal songwriter for Navillera, contributing material across the band’s seven singles. The group’s 2024 debut ‘Too Young’ won the Yamaha National Best Popular Music Award, while another composition by Clarity, ‘I Need You’, took first place in the YMS 2025 National Composers competition.
Now working under her own name, Clarity is using ‘Lose’ to introduce a solo identity that moves beyond the boundaries of a single genre. Drawing inspiration from artists including Adele, Bruno Mars, Regina Song and Olivia Rodrigo, she approaches each song according to the emotion it needs to convey, allowing the sound to shift alongside the story.
‘Lose’ offers an early glimpse into the intimate world Clarity is building around her debut EP. Rather than presenting heartbreak as a single, straightforward emotion, the song embraces its messier reality, where jealousy can sit alongside affection, insecurity can turn into self-awareness, and letting go can become its own form of emotional honesty.
