Artist: Havanna Winter
Single: rain rain go away
Sixteen-year-old TikTok artist Havanna Winter has released her debut single titled, “rain rain go away,” along with a music video available on YouTube. The single is available for streaming anywhere you get your music.
Havanna Winter was born in Oslo, Norway, but moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of nine. She went viral on TikTok at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. She proceeded to gain 3.1 million followers on TikTok and 1.4 million followers on Instagram. Recently, Havanna signed with Wonderwall Records and is planning to release three singles this year, followed by a full album in 2023.
“Rain rain go away” was written by songwriter and artist Rhyan Besco, and the music video was inspired by filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Tim Burton; as well as by films like The Lost Boys, Pulp Fiction, and Dazed and Confused. According to Havanna, she wants to bring new life to her “retro interests” in the digital world.
The single is a combination of alternative, indie, and sad-pop—a typical sound for TikTok-famous Gen Z artists. Specifically, “rain rain go away” sounds very similar to “la di die” by Nessa Barrett and Jxdn (who are also popular TikTok content creators). While there’s nothing wrong with the track, and I did enjoy listening, it’s very derivative. If you’re looking for something new or different, this isn’t it.
I also found the lyrics to be generic and surface-level. With lyrics like, “Rain Rain Go Away/Take my breath from me/Let me pass away/From all my mistakes,” it seems like the song is potentially about depression. However, other pieces of the song discuss “jealousy from enemies” and “villains” who can run but not hide, which makes it difficult to decipher the actual meaning behind the song. Without any explanation from Havanna herself, I wonder if “rain rain go away” is simply playing into the sad-girl aesthetic of internet culture.
The music video for “rain rain go away” immediately struck me as taking inspiration from The Pretty Reckless. Havanna’s look and some of the shots are eerily similar to Taylor Momsen in the video for the song “Make Me Wanna Die.” The video follows Havanna singing into the camera on a rooftop, running from the police, getting caught and seducing the officers, and eventually killing everyone because—plot twist—she’s actually a vampire. Not only am I thoroughly confused about what the video has in common with the contents of the song, I’m seriously uncomfortable that the multiple adults on her team felt that it was appropriate to sexualize a sixteen-year-old girl.
Overall, “rain rain go away” was mediocre. If you’re a fan of this genre of music or know Havanna Winter from TikTok, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Otherwise, you’re not missing out on much. I hope Havanna continues having fun expressing herself through her music.
Check out Havanna Winter on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
