I’ll forever find myself allured by music that attaches itself to a “lifestyle,” whether communicated through lyrics, visuals, or otherwise. When an artist is able to effectively bring listeners into the world that their music comes from without losing the truest and purest version of the feeling that the world exudes, a new dimension of appeal is added to each release, and in turn, the artist is generally better suited to stick around for the long run. Such is certainly the case with Toronto artist RealestK, who may have built his momentum on TikTok — a platform infamous for flash-in-the-pan musical moments — but is already proving to offer so much more with his incredible new music video for “WFM.”
Sonically, “WFM” pinpoints a marriage between dark, lush production and silky smooth vocal runs that gives it an addictive characteristic, complete with illustrative lyrics that ask a romantic interest, why can’t you wait for me? The songwriting is fantastic, tinted with a layer of desperation and sadness that effectively communicates the emotional weight that the topic holds in the narrator’s life. And then there’s the visual, which perfectly illustrates the song’s aura with night-set scenes of RealestK walking around Toronto wearing his signature, sunglassed look. It’s not the type of seamless, well-funded video that people are used to seeing, but it’s much more effective in its imperfections, a little shaky and not perfect quality, but true and authentic in a way that million-dollar videos struggle to achieve. This is perhaps what makes RealestK’s such an exciting new talent to see — the authenticity in his work, not to mention the sheer talent that he brings to the table at just 17 years old.
If this is what RealestK is doing at 17, it goes without saying that the future is undeniably bright for the rising talent, especially as his buzz continues to grow exponentially. I can’t wait for more, and in the meantime, I highly encourage that all our readers check out “WFM” below. If the new music video is any indication, RealestK is here to stay.