CONAN GRAY “KILLING ME” track REVIEW

BY KATHERINE CHUNG (SHE/HER)

Conan Gray has fans eagerly anticipating his third album announcement. Following the releases of “Never Ending Song” and “Winner” earlier this year, he surprised us with the Halloween drop, “Killing Me”. This latest track channels an '80s Michael Jackson “Thriller” vibe, a departure from his usual melancholic style

In a Genius interview, Conan explains that he wrote the song “Killing Me” when he had the flu. Being sick as a musician is tough since he couldn't use his voice, which is his main way of expressing himself in his songs. On top of that, he was deeply heartbroken over someone who treated him badly. The song's title reflects his plea for that person to stop hurting his already broken heart. Even though he had already experienced the pain, he couldn't stop thinking about them.

“Killing Me” begins as a slow piano ballad like his recent song “Winner”. As the song progresses, the pace speeds up, reflecting Conan's feeling of losing control in his relationship with this person. In the bridge, he sings:  “You're killing me, you're killing me/ I wanna die, but you keep me alive / You're killing me, you're killing me/ Fight to survive, oh, love of my life/ You're killing me”, he emphasizes that even though they are no longer in his life, he can't stop thinking about them. The song's message, like “Winner”, highlights how hearing from a person who hurt you or reminiscing on a past relationship can be a painful reminder of the past.

Conan recently shared with his fans on social media that he's been dealing with illness and discomfort, which led to his decision to undergo tonsil removal. Unfortunately, this means he had to cancel the plan to shoot the music videos for "Winner" and "Killing Me." However, you can still enjoy the lyric videos for these songs on YouTube. As the year comes to an end, it's expected that there will be fewer music videos and performances as Conan focuses on his recovery after the tonsil removal procedure.