Victor Longato Tackles The Anxieties Of Modern Dating In “Freaked”

Victor Longato, a queer, neurodivergent artist with Brazilian and Trinidadian roots, has released a new single that perfectly captures the feeling of being left on read.

“Freaked” is a Pop-R&B track with a Jersey Club-inspired beat that explores the modern phenomenon of ghosting.

As a Brit School alumnus, Longato brings a polished and professional quality to his music, but he’s not afraid to get a little messy.

The song opens with a deceptively smooth R&B melody that quickly gives way to a frantic, high-energy beat. It’s a sonic representation of the anxiety that builds when you’re waiting for a text that never comes.

The lyrics are simple but effective, painting a picture of a person spiralling into a state of panic and confusion.

Have you ever checked your phone so many times that the screen starts to blur? That’s the feeling that “Freaked” evokes.

Longato’s voice is the anchor in this storm of digital anxiety. He sings with a sassy and playful tone that belies the seriousness of the subject matter.

It’s a performance that calls to mind the genre-bending work of artists like FKA twigs or even the early, more experimental work of Justin Timberlake. There’s a theatricality to his delivery that suggests a background in performance, which is no surprise given his history with the Brit School.

He has also graced the stage at the 10-year anniversary of The Rainbow Stage at the British Summertime Festival, a testament to his captivating live presence.

What makes “Freaked” so interesting is the way it combines different musical styles. The Pop-R&B and K-pop influences are clear, but the Jersey Club beat is the secret ingredient that gives the song its edge.

It’s a sound that’s been bubbling up in the underground for a few years now, and it’s exciting to see it being used in a pop context. The beat is relentless, driving the song forward with a nervous energy that’s impossible to resist.

It’s a song that’s designed to be danced to, even if you’re dancing by yourself in your bedroom at 3 a.m.

He’s not just singing about the pain of being ghosted; he’s also exploring the absurdity of it. The song has a sense of humour, a recognition of the fact that we’re all just fumbling our way through this new digital world. It’s a very human response to a very inhuman situation.

Longato is a member of two London-based collectives, STXRM and Blending In Badly, and you can hear the influence of that collaborative spirit in his music.

There’s a sense of community in his work, a feeling that he’s speaking for a generation of young people who are struggling to connect in an increasingly disconnected world. He’s not afraid to be vulnerable, to show the cracks in his digital armour.

“Freaked” is a song that will get under your skin. It’s a song that you’ll find yourself humming at odd hours of the day. It’s a song that will make you want to dance, even as it reminds you of the anxieties of modern life.

It’s a song that’s both fun and thought-provoking, a difficult balance to strike. Victor Longato is an artist to watch, a unique voice in a crowded field. He’s not just making music; he’s telling stories about the world we live in, one frantic beat at a time.

In a way, the song feels like a modern-day successor to the paranoid pop of the 80s. Think of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” updated for the age of social media.

The paranoia is no longer about being watched by a stranger; it’s about being ignored by someone you thought you knew.

The feeling of being watched has been replaced by the feeling of being unseen, a far more terrifying prospect in our hyper-visible world.

Ultimately, “Freaked” is a song about the search for connection in a world that seems designed to keep us apart.

It’s a song about the highs and lows of digital life, the moments of pure joy and the moments of crushing disappointment.

It’s a song that’s as chaotic and contradictory as the world it describes. And in the end, isn’t that what pop music is all about?