From the moment ari hicks’ “Sad Ghost” begins, you’re instantly hooked and know you’re in for 3 minutes of an intoxicating journey. This is the song you play a little too loud, while you dance around your kitchen, and escape reality. The eerie melody is the perfect pair to spooky season. You can feel the depths of her music in your soul like the faint reminisce a ghost in a haunted hotel. Every soul has felt a little lost in life, wanting to do better, be better, change the narrative, but not knowing how to break down the sky-high walls we've built of fear, anxiety, and insecurity. Sometimes the greatest thing you can do for yourself is admit that you're not who you want to be, or not where you thought you'd be. ari says, "Dying on the inside but you seem to see right through. Smiling but I'm blue," This line is the epitome of real, raw, and relatable. We put on a mask and get so internally frustrated when no one asks what's wrong. Why can't they see through the facade I portray to the world and would die to protect? Vulnerability does not come easy, but life begins when we begin to accept life. This song gives comfort to the listener. You begin to feel a genuine camaraderie with others who feel unseen and alone. ari perfectly describes what it’s like to feel like everyone’s looking, but no one is seeing. It’s the empty feeling that makes you feel as transparent as our friends in the spirit world. It's easy to feel like a phantasm when you’re searching for something you once had. We’ve all felt like a sad ghost, and ari sells solace that we are not alone in feeling alone.
ari has an ethereal voice that makes you feel every word she sings. She makes you understand her emotions, even if you’ve never had them yourself. This alt pop song has a synth that screams mystery and melancholy. This is the song you want on the soundtrack of fall. You’re hit with a crispness that is reminiscent of an eerie autumn day. The lyrics are magnetic and the haunting chorus will be stuck in your head all day. Her song plays like a movie on the projector in our minds, and it’s a feature that will quickly become your comfort. “Sad Ghost” is the voice for the voiceless, the voice for those who feel stuck, and the voice for the vacant. ari’s raw vulnerability will speak to every person who listens, and will make their assumed transparency turn opaque with reassurance that we are not unaccompanied on the journey that is life.
ari hicks is an inspiring artist and one to watch out for. She has grown an impressive following on TikTok and has earned acclaim from Vogue, Alt Press, and Wonderland. ari has over 7 million streams across various music platforms, and it is easy to understand why. Her songs are captivating and her lyrics are exceedingly relatable. “Sad Ghost” is her second single off her EP It’s Not That Deep: Chapter 2 where she feeds into her darker side and let’s her guard down. Her music is empowering and unapologetic, and she is going to reach so many people who are afraid to say the things we all think. She is going to give comfort to the uncomfortable and normalcy to the abnormal. Her music has the staying power of a ghost, and we hope she haunts us forever.
Written By Grace Chapman
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