Zach Hood Reminisces on “when she was mine” in Nostalgic Indie Pop Soundscape

While Zach Hood might describe himself as “just a kid from Alabama,” the 20-year-old TikTok sensation has come to represent much more than that for so many of his fans. His willingness to be hyper-vulnerable as a way to make noise amongst Gen-Z fanbases is reshaping the music industry as we know it. In preparation for his new EP, which will be released later this month, Zach has now released three singles from it. “when she was mine” follows his viral hits “never knew a heart could break itself” and “lonely isn’t the word for this.”

As with many of his songs, Zach touches on relationships and heartbreak in his newest single. He shares further about “when she was mine,”

“When She Was Mine” is about one of those relationships that seemed to be going so well; you made promises and envisioned having your simple dream life with your partner. But the relationship ended up going nowhere because of distance – and because life had other plans. Although you still care for this person, and you remember what you promised to each other, there’s nothing you can do about it because they’ve moved on. The things you promised each other…they now have with someone. Now it’s too late to have that simple dream life with her, because life got in the way.

A nostalgic soundscape, brimming with bittersweet guitar strums, sets the tone for the relatable lyrics of heartbreak and regret. While the first verse starts with Zach reflecting on the future he had at one time planned with his partner, the energy begins to shift as the song continues because life, unfortunately, does get in the way. The vulnerability that seeps through the vocals reflects the regretful nature of how the relationship dissolved, particularly highlighting the unwilling acceptance that he now faces when he sees someone who he used to love now be happy, just not with him. And it’s unfortunate how relatable this song may be for so many of his listeners, but sometimes…timing just doesn’t work in our favor.