PIAO Grapples With Identity On New Single “if i am me, then who are you?”

Photo by Sophia Maguire

Have you ever struggled to reconcile your reflection with the person you are inside? PIAO’s new single, “if i am me, then who are you?,” sees the artist interrogating her own feelings surrounding this question, pairing introspective lyrics with glitchy production.

The atmospheric track is lush, immediately immersing listeners in PIAO’s industrial-style pop, and calling to mind artists like Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. The production mirrors the artist's frenetic lyrics, as she asks a reflection of herself, “If I’m me, then who are you?”

Speaking about the single, PIAO explained that the single “captures the tension between who I feel like vs. who I appear to be. Standing face to face with someone who is ultimately myself. Looking at a mirror but not recognizing yourself...not because you look different, but because they seem stronger than you feel. Times where I question how one can feel so divided while ultimately being singular. It’s about the weirdness of being both at once and how one’s consciousness chooses to either see a reflection as truth or a lie.”

The accompanying music video is full of baroque, fairy tale elements, from lace dresses and pirate hats, to a miniature horse and antique furniture. PIAO also shows off her dancing talents, moving fluidly in front of a room full of mirrors.

The video perfectly marries its visuals to the song’s message, comparing and contrasting these different images to express PIAO’s struggle to find a definitive answer about who she is.

“if i am me, then who are you?” is the first single off of PIAO’s upcoming, still-unnamed project. We can’t want to hear what PIAO has in store!

Listen to "if i am me, then who are you?" below: