Livingston Debuts New Single 'Religion'

Livingston has debuted anthemic new single "Religion," which is available now via Elektra Records. Reflecting on how we use social media to mask our insecurity ("I made you my religion / but that wasn't enough"), the track arrives alongside an official lyric video which is streaming now on Livingston's official YouTube channel.

Livingston expanded on the single, "Religion is a song about addiction to validation and social media. It's interesting because on first listen it reads like a relationship song where I'm accepting I'm caught up in someone who's bad for me, but it has this double meaning where I'm calling out myself for caring about things that I know are destructive. I went from being an unpopular and isolated kid my whole life to having my dreams handed to me, attention, going viral, money, you name it - and I quickly used all of those things as a crutch to cover my insecurity. This song attacks that in kind of an aggressive and smooth way. But I know a lot of people have felt this, so I hope they read into it."

After racking up nearly 100 million global streams, over 2 million followers and more than 175 million combined views on Tik Tok, the rising artist returned in May with highly anticipated new single "The Author." The infectious track is bolstered by Livingston's soaring vocals and arrived alongside an official lyric video.

In the fall, Livingston was featured on Louis The Child's track "Hole In My Heart." Dancing Astronaut praised Livingston's "velvety vocals," while YourEDM crowned the single a "vibrant heartbreak anthem." Prior to the collaboration, the 19-year-old shared single "Message In A Bottle" and made his live performance debut supporting Fitz and the Tantrums on select dates. The dates followed the release of his sophomore EP, An Unlikely Origin Story, which was heralded by singles "The Giver," "Hercules," and "Superkid." "Hercules" - a song about fearing change and embracing vulnerability - was co-produced by Jorgen Odegard (Justin Bieber, Yungblud, Quinn XCII, Imagine Dragons) and co-written by Odegard and Chloe George. The track followed single "Superkid," which was accompanied by a powerful visual written and directed by Livingston himself.

In 2020, the self-taught singer, songwriter, producer and engineer shared his debut EP Lighthouse, praised as "uplifting and inspiring" by PopularTV and earning Livingston the title of "pop star in the making" from Ones To Watch. The eight-track collection is available now at all DSPs via Elektra Records and features standout track "Carnival" in addition to singles "Home," "Say The Word," and "Fairytale" - the latter of which was shared by Billboard alongside the artist's Elektra Records signing announcement.

Growing up in Denton, Texas, Livingston was faced with bullying, anxiety, and relentless self-doubt. Throughout his childhood, he struggled to fit in and faced a constant battle to find his place in the world - finally finding the connection and understanding he sought when he poured his feelings of loneliness, isolation and inadequacy into song. Drawing inspiration for his "orchestral cinematic pop" from a wide range of artists in pop, hip hop and film scores, Livingston combines instantly memorable melodies with sweeping orchestral compositions and is first and foremost driven by honest storytelling.

Watch the new lyric video here: