By the time Myles Lloyd began writing One Sided, the relationship had already ended emotionally.
Not because of one defining argument or a dramatic goodbye, but through the accumulation of countless quiet moments. The unanswered effort. The imbalance. The slow realisation that he was carrying something the other person had long since put down.
“The emotional starting point for this song was the quiet moment when you stop making excuses for someone and finally accept the fact that you’re the only one holding everything together,” Lloyd says. “One Sided is about recognising that love shouldn’t feel like you’re constantly proving your worth.”
That ability to articulate emotions many struggle to name has become Lloyd’s signature. Across projects including Goodbye, Forever, Yours, WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?, and most recently I’m Still Thinking, the Canadian singer-songwriter has steadily built a catalogue that feels less like a collection of songs and more like journal entries left intentionally unedited. His music sits comfortably between classic soul, contemporary R&B and early-2000s pop, but beneath the polished production is an artist more interested in honesty than perfection.
For Lloyd, One Sided wasn’t born from a single revelation. “It wasn’t just one big moment. It was a lot of small moments,” he explains. “Looking back, I realised I was putting in all the effort while they were just there. Once I accepted that, the song almost wrote itself.”
Acceptance, it turns out, is a recurring theme in Lloyd’s work. Where I’m Still Thinking documented the process of wrestling with emotion, One Sided arrives as the resolution, or at least the beginning of one.
“The album was about processing emotions, while One Sided is about finally accepting a difficult truth and choosing yourself,” he says. “One Sided is all the things I never said because I couldn’t accept it, but now those things are ready to be said.”
Perhaps that’s why the song has resonated so quickly. Before its official release, a teaser had already generated millions of interactions online, with listeners recognising themselves in just a few seconds of music.
Lloyd isn’t surprised by how universal the feeling has become.
“I think almost everyone has experienced it in some way,” he says. “Whether it’s a relationship, friendship, or even with family.”
Then he pauses before adding something unexpectedly honest.
“I don’t know if this is wrong to say, but I kind of wish that everyone one day experiences and feels what it’s like to care more than someone else. It’s a hard feeling to forget.”
It’s a striking statement, not because he wishes heartbreak upon people, but because he understands what it teaches. Some lessons can only be learned by living them.
That emotional openness has become the foundation of Lloyd’s growing audience. His songs consistently find listeners who struggle to express what they’re feeling themselves.
“Sometimes a song can say exactly what someone has been trying to express but couldn’t find the words for,” he says. “If my music can do that, then it’s doing its job.”
The connection extends well beyond streaming platforms. Lloyd now reaches more than two million monthly listeners on Spotify, while social media has become an extension of his creative process rather than simply a promotional tool.
“You never really know how people are going to react until they hear it,” he says. “Seeing so many people relate to just a small part of the song was really encouraging.”
He believes platforms like Instagram and TikTok have fundamentally changed the relationship between artists and audiences.
“It gives artists a chance to see how people connect with songs almost instantly. Reading people’s stories and comments reminds me that music means something different to everyone.”
That perspective has served him well as his career continues to accelerate. Drive Me Crazy introduced Lloyd to audiences around the world, with the song recently finding new life through an ENHYPEN and Pinterest collaboration. Rather than changing his artistic direction, however, the success simply reinforced what he already believed.
“That song opened a lot of doors for me,” he says. “It introduced my music to people I probably wouldn’t have reached otherwise, and it gave me more confidence to keep trusting my creative instincts.”
Trust has become an important word in Lloyd’s creative vocabulary. The influences remain rooted in the music he grew up loving, from timeless soul records to early-2000s pop melodies, but he approaches them with a contemporary emotional lens.
“Those genres taught me that emotion always comes first,” he says. “I love melodies that stay with you, but I also want every lyric to feel honest. That mindset is still how I approach every song.”
It’s a philosophy that extends into collaboration. Working alongside artists including BUNT. and JUNNY has expanded his perspective, not by changing his voice but by challenging his process.
“Working with other artists pushes you out of your comfort zone,” he explains. “Everyone has a different way of creating and you always end up learning something new from each collaboration.”
Live performance has offered a different kind of education. Having appeared at festivals including Lollapalooza and Sol Blume, while touring Canada alongside JUNNY, Lloyd has witnessed first-hand how songs evolve once they belong to an audience.
“Performing live reminds me why I make music in the first place,” he says. “Even when I’m performing in front of a crowd who don’t know the lyrics yet, I can tell they wish they knew them so they could sing along. Those live moments are the reason why I’m doing all of this.”
Despite impressive streaming figures and increasing recognition, Lloyd refuses to let numbers become the measure of success.
“There’s always some pressure,” he admits. “But I try not to let numbers decide what I create. I’m just here to make some genuine music. That’s what connected people to it in the first place.”
It’s a refreshing perspective in an industry often driven by algorithms and viral moments. Lloyd understands that longevity comes from authenticity, not chasing trends.
“I don’t think emotional honesty and replayability have to compete,” he says. “You can tell a painful story while still making something people enjoy listening to. That’s always the balance I’m chasing.”
Ultimately, One Sided isn’t simply about heartbreak. It’s about recognising your own value after spending too long trying to convince someone else of it.
When asked what he hopes listeners take away from the song, Lloyd’s answer is as compassionate as the music itself.
“I hope they realise they’re not alone,” he says. “If they’ve ever felt like they were giving everything to someone who wasn’t giving the same back, I hope this song helps them feel seen and reminds them that they deserve better.”
He smiles before offering one final thought that feels just as important as anything written into the lyrics.
“No matter what, we have to keep moving forward in life. Just learn and keep going.”
For an artist who has built his career on embracing vulnerability, perhaps that is the greatest lesson of all.
