Lately, I have been starting to compare myself to my peers once again. It was easier during the pandemic since we were all stuck in our houses suffering together. However, this summer almost everyone I know has an internship at some well-known company or has a decent idea of what they want to do with their careers.
I somehow have always sucked at finding internships or jobs. Of course, it’s not good to compare yourself to others cause we are all on different journeys in our lives. Sometimes it’s just inevitable.
In the song “Late to the Party”, artist Emei feels just that. Imposter syndrome.
What if I’m doing something wrong. Why is everyone more successful than me. These are thoughts I constantly have that Emei captures so perfectly in alternative pop music.
The way I encountered this song was through a video of Emei performing this song in the basement of a college dorm building with a band. It’s something about watching music being performed in its raw form that hits so hard.
My passion for being a scientist is totally different from Emei’s wanting to be a highly regarded musician but the feelings are no different.
The song starts off with the lyrics “Twenty-one without a grammy or degree | Too bad that’s sad, maybe at twenty-three | Don’t wanna care how people look at me | But I still feel late to the party.”
The sentiments of this song can be applied to most college students and honestly anyone regardless of their age. No matter what we want to pursue in life, it always feels like even if you don’t care what people think of you, you somehow can’t stop judging yourself. I definitely have moments where I feel late to the party.
A thought I have always had was, that if only I taught myself the guitar at a young age I would have easily been living a lavish life at the age of 20 being able to perform all over the world. This song unfortunately has opened my eyes to the reality that any passion or career you want to pursue takes hard work and sometimes sheer luck.
A verse that stands out to me for that reason is “Sitting on the couch with my friends right now | Overheard a conversation about how | Someone from high school just got engaged | While I’m out here making minimum wage | But really I just wanna be on the stage | Why do I care about people my age?”
Hearing this song feels like Emei took thoughts from my mind. I love this song because it helps me appreciate that everyone our age has experiences like these.
People are always going to be in different stages of their lives, whether they are married or still in school or touring the country.
It’s a song I feel can resonate with a lot of people.
The track itself is alternative pop. The darker pop melody accompanied by Emei’s dynamic and unique vocals makes the song sultry and catchy. With a touch of angst, the whole song comes together so well.
The ending of the song sticks with me even after a couple of listens. The lines “What’s the rush | What’s the rush for?” Repeat over and over. The repetition of the song accompanied by bass keeps things refreshing and leaves you wanting to listen one more time.
If you’re looking for a relatable song and are feeling late to the party just like I am, this song will help you stop feeling alone in your worries.
Late to the party or not, keeping that same passion and determination to achieve your dreams is the way to go.
Check out the music video for “Late to the Party” on YouTube.
