Track of the Day: Gabriella Lin – Different (2026)
Developing a connection to music early in life – she was three years old when she began playing the piano – singer-songwriter Gabriella Lin found an eager passion to share stories in melodies. Raised between China and New Zealand, Lin found herself facing and immersing herself in two diverse cultures. However, instead of ignoring their influences, her “sad girl” pop songs embraced the change, resonating with listeners across the globe. Self-described as an “emotional girl writing dramatic pop songs”, her music is vibrant and captivating, while still acting as a personal space where people can find solace, acceptance and warmth. The latest addition to her discography is the single, ‘Different’.
With previous singles ‘questions you never asked’ and ‘the necklace’, not to mention her breakout track ‘Biscuit and Tea’, Lin delved into the complexities of life with personal narratives. Songs from her heart with raw emotion, listening is like taking a peek at a secret diary entry, as is the case with ‘Different’. Penned by Lin, it looks at the intricacies of relationships, really hitting the core of what true love can, and possibly should, be. Lines like “You’re the boy on my mind… With you I’m certain/ I think that’s why it’s different this time” express the heart-warming understanding that things don’t have to be spicy to be real…. the type of insight coming from several diary entries.
Lyrically, ‘Different’ swims through the weight of love. In true “sad girl” style, a quintessential vulnerability, heartbreak, and melancholy exist; Lin refuses to cry and breathes joy, hope and optimism into the track. Melodically, it is as expressive.
Produced by Joshua Cho, with mixing and mastering by Alex Zhong, ‘Different’ is a sweep back to the 1990s/2000s pop scene – think the time of Justin Bieber and old-school Christina Aguilera. A bold beat keeps the pace, while keyboards and synths flood the arrangement with not a slick sensation, more a deliberately sugary-sweet aura. If a song were a colour, ‘Different’ would be pink and glittering, but Lin’s vocals give it some streaks of red or purple reaching into the core of the song in rich, warm tones.
If that coming-of-age feeling of falling in love with your best friend instead of continuing the tumultuous affair with the popular boy had a soundtrack, ‘Different’ would be it.
Find out more about Gabriella Lin on her Instagram and Spotify.
