In "Hoops" by Capri Wagner, Wagner encounters her ex after not seeing them since their breakup. While Wagner is still unsure why the split occurred, it is clear her ex didn't take long after their separation before finding another lover. Although Wagner believes her ex means no harm in reaching out, she finds it difficult to reconnect after seeing them reminds her of a difficult time in her life. After all, Wagner details how much pretending she did to impress them, only to leave empty-handed. Perhaps due to her circumstances, Wagner is scared that pursuing a relationship with her ex again will make those memories a reality. Like many, Wagner believes in second chances, especially when it comes to love. But in "Hoops," she's not confident that her second chance will be with the person who once broke her heart.
"Hoops," by Capri Wagner, is close to 4 minutes long, with a basic song structure of Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus. Following the mood of the track's cover art, "Hoops" is electronic-based, made up of synth chords, basses, arpeggiators, risers, and pads that create a bubbly and dream-like atmosphere perfect for representing Wagner's reminiscing of a past infatuation, and the difficulty in being ready to move on. Aside from the melodic instrumentation is a simple percussive pattern that changes slightly and mainly provides momentum for the track. But capturing the feeling of the story better than the record's production is Wagner's vocal performance, in which the use of her chest voice and belting for a majority of the song sells her desire for wanting to release emotions held captive for too long. What perhaps gives this vocal freedom are the long stretched-out phrases that also allow emphasis on powerful lines like "I had really thought back then/It'd end up being us in the end/But we didn't fit in that category/In the final pages of our story." However, it is no doubt all of the song's elements working in tandem make "Hoops" by Capri Wagner a convincing listen.
Capri Wagner is a singer-songwriter from Newton, Pennsylvania. Wagner began her music career on Youtube, where she shared videos of herself performing song covers and original music until the debut of her first single, hosted by Ne-Yo, "Raining In LA," on streaming services. Following the debut single, Wagner released "Drowning" in the same year and "My Angel" in 2022, which later gained Wagner recognition from music industry veteran Kelly Clarkson and encouraged features in publications such as Courier Times, Rolling Stone, BuzzMusic, and more. Wagner also made guest appearances on live television for news networks WFMZ-TV and FOX 29 Philly. Since "My Angel," Wagner collaborated with Tommy Boi on "Out of my Head" before dropping her latest single, "Hoops." And considering Wagner's impact on the industry in the past year, her discography proves promising and is now available on all streaming platforms.
Written By Jeffrey Ade
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