A “Heather” is a girl who is overwhelmingly pretty and popular, and when she walks into the room everyone pays attention. “Heather” by Conan Gray has been a popular song all over social media recently due to the current TikTok trends based on the song, one even being people finding the “Heathers” at their school.

On Friday, Aug. 21, Gray released a music video for the song, which changed my whole perspective on what he was trying to convey through his music.

When “Heather” first came out in March 2020, I loved it. It’s slow paced and sad which is something different from Gray considering all of his other songs I love like “Maniac” and “Crush Culture.” Even the album the song is from, “Kid Krow,” showcases a whole new vibe from him. The music seems so much more personal and emotional which I think was a great way to go.

 Throughout the song, Gray sings about a girl named Heather who was so pretty and nice that Gray’s crush ended up being attracted to her instead of him. I can relate in so many ways, especially having a crush on someone and just wanting them to like me back, but also feeling spiteful towards the Heather that ended up sweeping my crush away. Gray easily lets the listener feel how Heather leaves all the girls jealous for what she unconsciously did and how insecure it can make someone feel when a Heather comes into their life.

The music video contrasts the song, but it works in a complimenting way. One thing that really stood out to me is that the video showcases different angles and shadows of Gray’s body. To me, this resembles a sort of self-love as Gray looks at himself in the mirror many times. There is no hint of insecurity in the video which is strange to me because “Heather” is all about being insecure romantic

ally and physically. I think his ideas for the music video were heavily inspired by the recent trends on TikTok. He wanted to show people that just because a “Heather” is pretty and attracts someone’s crush more doesn’t mean that their self worth is any less.

Personally, I love the contrasting theme that Gray went with. I think that others will love it too and see and

interpret things differently than I did because this song and music video are super versatile. The song is amazing and appeals to many people and I think it will definitely be a go-to sad song for so many people, especially for me.