Viral singer-songwriter Francis Karel has revealed his transformative new single ‘Holding On’, capturing the true essence of heartache and what it feels like to lose your first love.
The pop balladeer delivers a blend of intricate vocal harmonies that cascade over the emotive production, culminating in Karel finally coming to terms with the fact that he’ll be holding on regardless of how much it might hurt in the end.
“Love is so vague that you can only draw the outlines of it until you actually experience the details. Every experience is a new chapter I haven’t tapped into, and I feel like it’s also letting me grow as a person. I see love & heartbreak as fragments of imperfection that create something beautiful in the long run,” said Karel.
Growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia, Karel was a student of pop radio hits, leading him to pen his first song at 12. When deciding on a college, he took a leap of faith and left everything he knew in Jakarta behind with nothing but his suitcase and a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to fulfill his dream of being a singer/songwriter.
While his intentions were only to bring joy to the world as we all were doing our best to maneuver COVID, he touched the hearts of millions — from a distance. The unostentatious singer/songwriter began sharing countless Omegle reaction videos on TikTok in which he reduces unsuspecting strangers to instant tears with his mesmerizing voice and soulful guitar.