For those who had a “Blue Christmas,” Lil Uzi Vert was there with a new song, “Red Moon.”
Released on December 25, “Red Moon” saw Lil Uzi Vert, 28, commiserate with those who spent the season with a broken heart. “Lost myself and then I made my bedroom / Sittin’ back thinkin’, got too much headroom,” raps Uzi against a jungle/drum-and-bass beat. “Thinkin’ ’bout my relationships that didn’t even last / What I didn’t get out of them, I swear that I’m tryna get it up out you / You let me go and now I feel so light blue / I’m by myself and I’m just starin’ at a red moon.”
In the accompanying music video, Lil Uzi Vert (who uses they/them pronouns) captures the disorientation of loss by getting dressed backward. The video paints the world through a hazy filter as Uzi seemingly wanders aimlessly through the world. They ultimately end up on a beach, walking out into the waves as they start to shed tears, crying over what was lost.
“If someone can be away from you, let them be,” reads the message at the end of the video. “Its (sic) better to be alone than losing yourself for approval. Love isn’t real, but with my imagination, I can make anything real.”
“Red Moon” comes six months after Lil Uzi Vert released their third studio album, Pink Tape. Pink Tape debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking the first rap album to top the chart in 2023. With a wide range of sounds, the album featured appearances by Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Don Toliver and metal groups Bring Me the Horizon and Babymetal.
In October, Lil Uzi Vert announced during a concert in Chicago that their next album — the third installment in their Luv Is Rage series — would be their last. “I came to this conclusion not too long ago,” Uzi told their followers. “I was gonna, like, wait ’til later to say it, but, you know, I’m dropping Luv Is Rage 3, and, you know, Luv Is Rage 3 will be my last album.”
Lil Uzi Vert said they would “go on another tour” after Luv is Rage 3, but after that, they would “try to live a normal life.” Though the crowd voiced their disappointment at Uzi’s retirement, they began chanting the rapper’s name in a show of love.
“Thank you for all your support, and thank you for supporting me on my decision,” they said. “I’ll make sure that I give it my all on Luv Is Rage 3 this time because we gotta keep the legacy going.”
Lil Uzi Vert told TMZ they’re hoping to work in fashion by design women’s clothing after retiring from music. “I love making music, but I don’t really want to make music like that anymore,” they told the outlet.
