Francis Arevalo 
“I Can’t Wait” 

Independent • 2023


At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I can’t help but feel that change is coming. There is an energy in the air charged with potential and positivity about the coming spring that makes me feel better about myself and my situation than I have in months. I’ve never been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder, but I believe the condition is real: winters are the worst for my mind, body, and spirit.

Helping to kick-start the good times and good vibes is “I Can’t Wait,” the jubilant new single from Filipino-Canadian artist Francis Arevalo. The track (the first release from an upcoming album) is a motivational anthem about finding your “why,” embracing your purpose and putting positivity into the world to get it back. “I Can’t Wait” vibrates with earnestness and conviction as Arevalo spits out his words of wisdom and wit on top of an almost over-the-top hip-hop hymn beaming love and light into the world. 

According to Arevalo, he’s been working and reworking “I Can’t Wait” for quite some time now, mirroring his own efforts to manifest his personal mission and vision. He says the song is “the sound of realizing and celebrating the agency I have to cultivate the life I want, and in turn, share with others [so] that they have it too. This song is the result of confronting mortality and learning to do what I can, with what I have, with who is around me, with the time I have left, to be of service to my communities.” Avrevalo’s message is the wake-up call I need right now. It reminds me that the greatest barrier to being my best self is me and that I’ll be waiting awfully long if I’m expecting something or someone else to come along and make things better for me.

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