LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s not often that a singer-songwriter makes a middle-aged man search TikTok. But Alejandro Aranda has always been a bit of an anomaly—ever since he stepped onto the American Idol stage in 2019 and redefined what a reality show contestant could be. He was a genre unto himself: emotionally intelligent, technically dazzling, and disarmingly earnest. I’ve been following him ever since, rewatching YouTube performances like sacred texts, quietly marveling at his growth.
His latest single, “Meant To Be,” released March 28, strips everything back to what originally made him so captivating. Gone are the electronic frills and genre experiments that peppered earlier Scarypoolparty releases—here, we’re left with a simple arrangement, an acoustic guitar, and a voice that sounds like it’s bleeding truths he never wanted to say out loud.
Aranda sings, “Like a runaway train / I got this feeling in my heart / Every day feels like it’s falling apart”—and there’s something in the way he phrases that last line that makes it feel like more than just lyrical craft. His voice, smooth yet weathered, croons from the core of a heart that’s seen some things and hasn’t quite recovered. It’s that tension between aching vulnerability and masterful control that hits hardest, like watching a tightrope walker stumble beautifully but never fall.
“This is meant to be an acoustic song that’s easy to listen to,” Aranda has said. And it is—if you’re okay with music that grabs your ribcage and gives it a gentle twist. Inspired by a dream of hopping trains and circling the world only to return to love, the track feels less like a performance and more like a confession—weightless yet deeply rooted, ethereal yet grounded. His guitar work, as always, is sublime. Aranda plays like he’s pouring his soul out in arpeggios, each note cascading like a sigh.
“Meant To Be” is one of those songs that doesn’t scream for your attention. It sidles up quietly, wraps an arm around your shoulder, and tells you a story you realize you needed to hear. It’s a love song for the dreamers, the romantics, and anyone who’s ever felt like some feelings were written into the stars long before they had words for them.
I’ve enjoyed many of Alejandro’s post-Idol releases—some more experimental, others lush with production—but this track hit the nail on the head for me. It’s classic Alejandro: soulful, introspective, and deceptively simple. Just a man, a guitar, and the kind of emotional girth that makes you want to sit quietly afterward and feel everything all over again.
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