On his latest single Holding On, iann dior sings and raps about matters of the heart and a love he cannot have.
Iann dior is back with his hit new single Holding on, a modern hip-hop pop track that sounds like it could be a sequel or even twin to his Billboard #1 collaboration Mood with 24KGoldn.
The Puerto Rican-born, Texas-raised rapper definitely knows how to write a hook, and his latest release is certainly no exception. Rapping over a strummed electric guitar, dior combines a modern melodic approach and his fringe emo singing tone to produce a sound that is very 2020 – and very catchy.
Lyrically the release is the perfect balance between elaborate and concise, the lone verse vividly detailing a toxic relationship he is holding onto. Delivered with a bland tone, iann adds a touch of emotion to his vocals to sound like he has almost given up but still maintains a grip.
The stellar production team of Omer Fedi, Andrew Luce, Blake Slatkin, and Kbeazy provides a sleek but simple canvas to paint over with the topic of love and holding on, the main hook basically just writing itself:
“I been holdin’ on, don’t know why/Love’s not for everyone, but I still try.”
Alongside this portrayal of his tainted love comes the music video, which depicts iann alienated from any sort of affection, trying to hold on to any hope of a positive connection but also picturing a toxic and negative easy way out.
iann, born Michael Ian Olmo, received instant acclaim right from the beginning, with his first track earning 10,000 plays in its first week on Soundcloud.
“I was in high school and my friends told me to make a song because they knew I was good at writing,” iann says.
As the budding rapper gained traction and the attention of Internet Money’s Taz Taylor, Michael reinvented himself as iann dior, snagging a record deal in early 2019 with Elliot Grainge’s 10K Projects and commencing what was about to be a pretty successful year for the rapper.
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iann first established himself as a lo-fi hip hop artist to keep tabs on with early tracks like cutthroat and emotions, each of which racked up millions of streams. Showing no attempts to slow down, the then 20-year-old released his debut album, Industry Plant, featuring appearances from Travis Barker, Gunna, and POORSTACY, before then featuring on 24kGoldns’ chart-topping track Mood, which has remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
With a short, two-minute run time, Holding On’s catchy but dejected vibe is one that really suits iann’s voice and style. It’s only early days for iann dior, but he seems to be evolving only more and more with no signs of slowing down.
Holding On is out now via 10K Projects / Caroline Australia. Stream the single here.
