Phangs' "Who's Gonna Break Your Heart Tonight?" Is a Record of Self-Reflection and Introspection

Self-doubt is a familiar feeling for most people. Questioning your worth, mental stability, and purpose is a common experience. For Phangs, it's been an ongoing struggle he's dealt with for a long time. But he's used music as his outlet to help himself and others discover their identity to accept and love themselves. On his debut album, Who's Gonna Break Your Heart Tonight?, Phangs rides a rollercoaster of emotions triggered by the daily minutiae of life. Through his music, he creates a sanctuary for his own vulnerability.

The record begins with the title song "Who's Gonna Break Your Heart Tonight?" and listeners immediately get a sense of where the album is taking them. Phangs explains more about the concept behind the album, and the pattern of self-reflection throughout:

"The voice that's within this album, being myself, is a one-night stand with myself just questioning life and dealing with all of my shit. Being like, "Am I okay? Is everything alright? Like, I feel good right now, but now I don't feel good." It's just that heavy space of questioning everything around you. There are songs like "Who's Gonna Break Your Heart Tonight?" that kind of says what you love and hate about people all in the same song, but then the song ends with the thought of "but it kills me thinking who's gonna break your heart tonight." And that's how the record starts, just already in that heavy self-contemplating space."

The most memorable song on the album is "Can't Wait To Tell You." The meaning holds significance in Phangs' heart. The track is about his loyalty to and love for his children. Phangs wrote and produced this track with duo Sleeping Lion while on tour, and shortly after his second child was born. With the affliction of being away from his family, and having to work, Phangs poured his heart out onto this track. He wrestles with missing the people he loves most in this world, but is motivated by the excitement of being able to tell his children about his life as a musician and how he's provided for them. The thrill of being able to show his children his own passion, and hoping one day they'll follow their dreams as well.

With the music he writes, Phangs consistently taps into an emotional space. He channels pride, sadness and rage into self-reflection and self-realization. To him, creating Phangs was never a project for others, it was a practice of escapism that ended up connecting with a group of people that could see themselves in his lyrics. All he does is put his emotions into songs, but it's his listeners that have created a community where they can connect with a certain level of understanding and love for each other. Phangs prides his message as a continual search to feel something, and in return helping others with that same pursuit of introspection.

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