Whether you’re in the mountains, desert, forest, etc., ‘Pretender’ by Thomas Day transforms wherever you are and emphasizes a bright image of near-sunset beach days with hair dusted in salt from the ocean. This complex, romantic, track tells the tale of a past love – one that is now unrequited. The first look into the layers behind this relationship can be seen in the line, “I think of the past and I don’t know why.” Following this line, Day goes on to tell listeners the story of a thunderous relationship. Day admits that he desired to present this individual with a wedding ring, but now this person has a connection with someone else. While the song is building momentum, Day looks back on the past. As it snakes toward the chorus, reality is introduced. Past this point, the truth of the situation has settled in – but Day is not done laying out his heart for and bonding with this person.
This high-energy, yet melancholic, pop song embodies the sensations of experiencing a torturous young love. First hitting the listener’s ears with the lines, “denim and salty hair, walked in the room like you just don’t care,” you are greeted with a feeling of familiar intrigue. This person is one to analyze, with depth and confidence that bring power to the story. Along with these lines, the backing guitar continues on with a casual strum as Day unravels this story – much like taking a slow stroll on a nice day. Signifying a change in the tone of both the song and story, forceful drums explode onto the track when the line, “Baby you’re nowhere,” is introduced. Suddenly, the tone has shifted, and you’re in the middle of a truthful and heartfelt confession. From this point on, Day fully releases the reins and showcases a voice that’s as authoritative and energetic as the backing drums, guitar, and piano.
Beginning his career on the platform TikTok with cover songs and a feature on America’s Got Talent in 2020, Thomas Day has quickly emerged as an exciting new pop act. In 2021, Day signed with Arista Records, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Since then, he has sold out his first headline tour and has additionally accumulated 7 million followers across social platforms and over a quarter of a billion global streams of his music. Before his start on TikTok and America’s Got Talent, Day was a high school football player and was being recruited by colleges to be a placekicker. By 2019, a singing video originally posted as a joke for his friend had made Day go semi-viral. Following this, he threw himself into creating more cover videos and then went on to star on America’s Got Talent. Day contracted COVID during filming for America’s Got Talent Now and was unfortunately removed from the show because of it. Today, Day is continuing to work on his music and is a serious force to be reckoned with in the pop scene.
Written By *Madison Spies*
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