The 3rd of December may seem like a normal day, but for fans of Conan Gray it is an emotional date that brings to mind someone they don’t even know: a girl named Heather.
Released as part of Gray’s 2020 album Kid Krow, the song “Heather” went viral this year on TikTok because of its related lyrics. Now “Heather” is a well-known name that stands for someone who seems so perfect that he’s untouchable.
The lyrics of the song explain how Heather is now romantically linked to the narrator’s love interest. Instead of being angry and wishing Heather the worst, the narrator sings that Heather is “a sight for sore eyes”. Her beauty is captivating, so much so that the narrator understands why she has become the first choice.
Gray spoke to VMan in August about the relationship. “When I was in high school, I had a crush on the same person every four years, but that one person didn’t love me back,” he said. “Instead, my crush was on a girl named Heather. Heather was gentle and beautiful, inside and out. She was warm like a summer day and had so many friends. She was soft and so easily lovable – everything I’m not”.
The lyrical content of the song led the Netizens to define themselves as “Heather”, which triggered a handful of TikTok trends. From one in which the creators moved their eyes along with the song, to slide shows with photos worthy of Instagram models, Heather took many forms.
And December 3 remains relevant even after the song’s original TikTok boom is over. The date signifies a lost moment between the narrator (Gray) and her love – seemingly the moment when the narrator knew that her relationship was over. “I still remember the third of December,” the song begins. “Me in your sweater, you said it looked better on me than on you, only if you knew how much I liked you, but I watch your eyes as she walks by”.
Heather has over 310 million streams on Spotify at the time of release. It’s no wonder that the track started moving on Twitter Thursday when fans of Gray commemorated the embassy in memes. From TikTok to Twitter, “Heather” is immortalized, following the idea of Heather’s immortal perfection.
Twitter users joked about the significance of the day and celebrated the emotional texts.
Nobody:
Absolutely nobody:
Conan Gray today, December 3: pic.twitter.com/CZhxQPf7zg
– ynna (@ynna17_) December 3, 2020
December 3rd: *exists*
Everyone who has ever heard Heather by Conan Gray: pic.twitter.com/TMPh7a5Pq5
– Priyanshi (@Priyanshayy) December 3, 2020
Conan Gray was dropped off twice and then returned to Twitter and saw people celebrating the day he got his heart broken
pic.twitter.com/OM4e2nMe0D
– frosted (@6 incandescent lamps) December 3, 2020
I hear heather because it is the third of December: pic.twitter.com/RHww7wS4DKE
– カイ | kyanma (@KYNAPATRIClA) December 3, 2020
Heather streams since 3 December
Picture.twitter.com/OIH3WJf2qT
– thea | failed math (@iyoinkedmyteeth) December 3, 2020
Gray’s song became such a TikTok booklet that it was played by giant stars like Charli D’Amelio (below, next to Conan, who declared D’Amelio’s version worthy). Others created photomontages of their best moments, their families and even their dogs, while some offered alternative texts from Heather’s perspective.
@conangray
in this house we stand stan charli @charlidamelio #heather
♬ Original sound – mills
@Skyj flowers
this is depressing #fyp #iwishiwereheather #heather #foryou #PerfectAsIAm #SuperlativeSmiles
♬ youre cute – ro
@bellaagarneer
my parents were a beautiful couple #heather #fyp #WaitForTheGreats #foru #foru #feautureme #foryoupage #feautureme
♬ youre cute – ro
@tessablasko
heathers pov (these ones for you carol) #fyp #foru #foryou #foryoupage #song #music #heather #singer #singing #singing #viral @conangray
♬ Original sound – tessa 🙂
@city mood
She is so pretty #fyp #heather
♬ youre cute – ro
Gray is a 21-year-old pop singer with the other hits “Maniac” and “The Story”. His latest release is a contribution to the Lauv song “Fake”. Gray’s first music release was a title called “Grow” in 2018.
