Empty Pinata is carving his own niche in the alternative pop music world. His new single Tik Tok Girl demonstrates how easily he does it. He has followed up Bonfire and Time Equation with a calming and emotionally rich bedroom pop song after coming back in early 2025. The song looks at how one would feel when he/she falls in love with someone who is always obsessed with social media.
It is a mix of hazy, gentle, and dreamy vocal, lo-fi production. Tik Tok Girl is nostalgic and also relevant to the modern world. It functions as background song on late night drives, the short romantic sentiments and the weird intimacy of digital communication. The song is composed in the perspective of a ghosted person. It embodies the twinge of contemporary relationships with the characteristic mix of sincerity and carefree attitude on the part of Empty Pinata.
The process of recording was strange. Some of the songs were even recorded in areas such as airfields and cars. The song was brought to life with the assistance of producer Daniel Paris and visual artist Min Soo Park. Tik Tok Girl is sincere and appealing. The song is highly personal as well as relatable to a number of individuals. It indicates the befuddlement, the amusement, and the aspiration that accompany becoming a grown-up in an internet-dominated world.
Empty Pinata discusses the creation behind Tik Tok Girl, his interpretation of the song, and his future in this interview.
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“TikTok Girl” is such a striking title — what inspired it?
I was working on a military base in North Carolina and my foreman and I were talking about girls on social media and how there’s an immense provocative call to action for these girls and i was saying it’s kind of sad. Obviously there’s a financial incentive but beyond that, it’s a character and that to me is always a step(s) removed from the real person and that must be exhausting.
How would you describe the mood or emotion you wanted listeners to feel when hearing this track for the first time?
Youthful. Through and through. It’s playful and straight forward. A song for TikTok about TikTok on TikTok lol
The song’s title instantly connects to social media culture — were you trying to explore how platforms like TikTok affect self-expression or identity?
I don’t know if i thought that deeply on the topic or subject matter honestly. I’m 30 lol i remember pre social media living and that’s almost what i am striving for when it comes to identity and sense of self and where i try to center my baseline day to day. i don’t know if im the best candidate to speak on the affects hahaha
Were there any unexpected moments in the studio that changed how the song turned out?
i made the song on an airfield over looking Bell V-22 Osprey’s and watching the mechanics do their thing which was pretty cathartic actually. I had a shitty laptop and recorded the vocals in my Honda so that for sure when unexpected lol I brought the demo to Gamal who then waved a magic wand over the session and next thing i knew this bastard is having me sing harmonies and he’s playing responses on guitar like it was just a nice song start to finish. no stress or anything in the actual recording and post production side of things
Did you collaborate with any new producers, musicians, or visual artists for this release?
Min Soo Park who is a total genius and bad man shot the visuals. I flew him out to my home in South Carolina and he and Gamal just went bananas. I built a small stage in my backyard and we got guitars and keyboards and made a little stage setup which was a fun experience.
Drinking beers and making a stage for the first time. As for the music, Daniel Paris produced the song (shout out Big Dan) he also produced the intro to my upcoming EP and i just think he’s super talented
Do you think “TikTok Girl” reflects something about this generation’s relationship with attention, validation, or connection?
Probably
How much of yourself do you see in the story of “TikTok Girl”?
Very much so. I don’t exactly relate to it now since I’m an old man with a wife and a daughter and land to tend to hahaha but when i was younger there was definitely a time where i was living this song. multiple girls and multiple different cars. Not TikTok of course because i was soon to be wed when that app came out but Snapchat and Facebook and Instagram for sure.
What do you hope people take away from listening to it?
A hope there’s some kid longboarding to a party listening to this. I hope it’s just a little vibe
What’s next for Empty Piñata after this single — any live shows, collaborations, or visuals in the works?
One more single than the debut EP.
Finally — describe “TikTok Girl” in three words.
Very Mid Music
