LILHUDDY, formerly known as Chase Hudson and one of the most popular content creators on TikTok, released his third single called “America’s Sweetheart” on April 23. He is continuing to surprise almost everyone with this song because of the fact that his music is actually quite good. 

TikTokers such as himself are mainly known for their lip-synching videos, and many people tend to assume that they have no other real talent. Ever since TikTok had been called Musical.ly, this assumption has both held true and been proven wrong by several content creators that have tried their hand at music. 

Fortunately for Hudson, so far it has been the latter. His first two singles, “21st Century Vampire” and “The Eulogy of You and Me” are both catchy and upbeat in a way that doesn’t get annoying after a couple times of hearing it. Additionally, the overall melodies of the songs capture the essence of pop-punk and pop-rock music very well. The 18-year-old is known for his dark and edgy style–famously dubbed the “e-boy” look. Both his music and the videos that come with it reflect this. While this particular style may not be for everyone, it can be generally agreed upon that his songs are still very enjoyable to listen to. 

His latest single, however, takes a bit of a different turn. In “America’s Sweetheart”, the usual drums and electric guitar are replaced by a slower ballad that lets his voice shine even more. Much like his other songs, the lyrics are simple in a way that makes it easy to sing along but are still able to convey a deeper meaning. 

The song is mainly about losing yourself so much that you end up destroying your relationship. It is also about feeling so low that you can’t even bring yourself to care. Clearly, this is an emotional topic for Hudson, which is further implied in the accompanying music video that stars his ex-girlfriend and fellow famous TikToker Charli D’Amelio. So, while he has room to improve in making his lyrics potentially more descriptive and complex, this song shows that he has the ability to make music that can be really meaningful. 

Many famous influencers have tried and failed to make music that actually sounds good and that has lyrics that go beyond surface-level emotions, but I feel that Hudson is not one of them. He has definitely shown that he has talent, and I believe that this song especially reveals that he has the potential to do even greater things in the future with his music career. 

Overall rating: 8.5/10