Emerging singer-songwriter Clarity Liao steps fully into her solo era with ‘Lose’, the focus single from her forthcoming debut EP, Dear….
An upbeat pop track masking a much messier emotional reality, ‘Lose’ captures the jealousy and insecurity of fearing that someone you love might be falling for somebody else.
The song emerged from Liao’s feelings for a boy she deeply cared about and the arrival of another girl who seemed to embody everything she feared she wasn’t. What begins with comparison and jealousy gradually moves towards acceptance, as Liao confronts the possibility that the relationship she wants may never happen.
Originally envisioned as a sparse, Adele-inspired piano ballad, ‘Lose’ changed dramatically once Liao entered the studio. Upbeat drums and electric guitar pushed the song into brighter territory, creating a playful contrast with lyrics rooted in insecurity, obsession and heartache.
“This song is one of my favorites,” Liao 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.”
‘Lose’ serves as the focus track from Dear…, a seven-song collection structured as a series of intimate musical letters. Across the project, Liao explores love, jealousy, rejection, loneliness and the difficult process of letting go, with each track taking on its own musical identity.
Moving between indie pop, R&B, bedroom pop, contemporary singer-songwriter influences and modern doo-wop, the EP reflects Liao’s determination not to confine her solo work to a single genre.
Liao has been writing songs since the age of seven and later became principal songwriter for Navillera, contributing material across the band’s seven singles. Their 2024 debut ‘Too Young’ won the Yamaha National Best Popular Music Award, while her composition ‘I Need You’ took first place in the YMS 2025 National Composers competition.
Now releasing music under her own name, Liao draws inspiration from artists including Adele, Bruno Mars, Regina Song and Olivia Rodrigo while developing a sound built around her own candid storytelling.
With ‘Lose’, that new chapter comes into sharper focus: bright, energetic pop carrying all the jealousy, vulnerability and emotional contradiction of a love letter that knows it might never receive the answer it wants.
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