Katherine Li Releases Debut EP 'Crush[ed]'

Indie pop singer-songwriter Katherine Li unveils her debut EP, Crush[ed] via Music Soup Entertainment in partnership with TikTok SoundOn. The project was written by Li and produced by Joe Avio. On Wednesday, she released lead track "Miss Me Too" which captures the candor and initmacy of the EP, with a music video to come.

On Crush[ed], Li shows fans the evolution of her raw and honest songwriting capabilities since posting videos to TikTok in 2020. The EP is centered around the concept of the cyclic journey of infatuation on an unrequited crush.

"I like to see my songs as a different kind of love song because most love songs are about breakups or being in love," says Li. "My songs are mostly about what happens when you didn't break up and you weren't in love-or you could have been, but it was just one-sided. I don't hear a lot of songs that talk about that, which is interesting because it seems like there are a lot of people who feel the same way I do about unrequited love."

"Happening Again," "Never Had a Chance," "We Didn't Even Date," and "I Don't Care" were released as singles, each receiving millions of streams across platforms. "Never Had a Chance," a piano ballad about wanting to give up on waiting for a crush to reciprocate their emotions, gained over 12 million streams, becoming Li's biggest song to date. "My brain hasn't fully comprehended that number," she admits, noting that she's had "nothing but good experiences" with her loyal and growing fanbase.

The singles (apart from "I Don't Care") were featured on American Eagle's music-focused back-to-school campaign for the fall, creating a short film that brings Li's narrative to life.

With Crush(ed) out, Li is eager to share fresh material with fans. She's currently in the process of recording a new batch of songs in her hometown of Toronto, Canada, that will arrive in the next record.

Listen to the new single here: