Review: "Without You" - KENTON
- Jazz Williams
- 15 minutes ago
- 2 min read
KENTON’s new song, Without You, is a pop ballad about reflecting on his complex relationship with his ailing father, but ultimately choosing to forgive him. Because he is sick, he wants to let go and forgive his father so he can move on with his life. Something I’ve always been taught is to forgive others because life is too short and you never know when your time is up on this Earth. In the music video, Kenton is tearing up looking at his father who has his backed turned the entire time. In the final scene, he takes a picture of his dad and extends his hand out to him. The music video is mostly filmed in black and white until the very end when it is filmed in color.
Without You features soft piano and earnest vocals over raw production. The most hard-hitting lyrics of the song can be found in the first verse. “What is God to a man like me?” and “What's a father to a son like me?” are questions many queer people ask themselves. The fear of being a disappointment and the shame of being an outcast is something that speaks volumes to my lived experiences. Even if you’re not LGTBQ+, you can still relate to these lyrics if you’ve had a tumultuous relationship with your family or felt out of place in your religion.
KENTON is a Taiwanese-American singer songwriter hailing from Irvine, California. He has supported major artists including Katy Perry, Billie Eilish, Benson Boone, Cynthia Erivo, and Jennifer Hudson. He released his debut album, Sweetmouth, just a few months ago featuring singles "Gift of Loneliness", "Dirty Laundry", and "Without You". The album explored queer identity, religion, self-love, and familial love. He is not just a singer, but also an actor having appeared in Superstore, The Rookie, Perfect Harmony, and many other productions. He is a multi-faceted individual who deserves your attention.
Written By Jazz
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