Aquilina's musical origins began with her playing piano in school. She has been singing since she was eight years old and has been playing piano since she was nine. A trilogy of self-released EPs ‘Fools’ (2012), ‘Sinners’ (2013) and ‘Liars’ (2014) saw Aquilina peaking in both the Official UK Singles Chart as well as creating more than just a splash in no-less-than six Billboard charts with her brilliantly haunting, trilogy concluding ‘Liars EP’. A string of UK festival dates followed, underpinned by an invitation to headline BBC Radio’s prestigious ‘Introducing’ stage at Reading and Leeds festivals.
Aquilina's song "Time to Say Goodbye" was featured in the season six advert for British drama Downton Abbey.
Aquilina released her debut album Isn't It Strange? under Island Records and Universal Music Group on 26 August 2016.
Following a break from recording and performing, Aquilina released "Psycho" in 2018 and ‘Tobacco in my Sheets’ in 2019.
Toy
Lauren Aquilina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And how your xbox has become your new best friend
I wanna know how you can be such a pain
Without even trying, is lying the brand new trend?
You know, what I'm after so why aren't we laughing now?
I thought I made it clear
I've shown, what I wanted, slowly you're taunting me
Cause boy I'm serious about you you you, everything you do do do
Oh boy you pull my strings and I'll do anything
But it makes me sick sick sick, oh the way you think think think
But I'm a puppet boy and I will, I will always be your toy
I wanna know how you can say all these things
To ninety-nine other girls plus me
And then I'll go and I'll write you a song and I'll sing sing sing
Until I get across to you, just what I mean
You know, what I'm after so why aren't we laughing now?
I thought I made it clear
I've shown, what I wanted, slowly you're taunting me
Cause boy I'm serious about you you you, everything you do do do
Oh boy you pull my strings and I'll do anything
But it makes me sick sick sick, oh the way you think think think
But I'm a puppet boy and I will, I will always be your toy
Why do you have such control over me?
Why is it so difficult to retreat?
From the race, from your embrace
From your face that's haunting me
You you you, everything you do do do
Oh boy you pull my strings and I'll do anything
But it makes me sick sick sick, oh the way you think
But you're a puppet boy
And I will, I will always be your toy
In the song Toy, Lauren Aquilina expresses her frustration towards a boy who she finds has become absorbed in his Xbox and is incapable of rational thinking. She questions why he can be such a pain without any significant effort, and whether lying has now become a trend. She expresses her serious concern about him and how he can juggle between her and 99 other girls, despite all her efforts to make it clear about her feelings towards him. She feels like a puppet and that he is pulling her strings while she is willing to do anything for him, even though the way he thinks makes her sick.
The song appears to be about a toxic relationship where one party is manipulating the other, and the other party has a hard time escaping from their grasp, even though they recognize the issues in the relationship. The imagery of the boy being a puppet master and the girl being a toy suggests a sense of helplessness in the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna know why you don't think with your brain
I want to understand why your actions are not guided by reason
And how your xbox has become your new best friend
I want to comprehend why you prioritize gaming over other relationships
I wanna know how you can be such a pain
I want to grasp how effortless it is for you to cause emotional distress
Without even trying, is lying the brand new trend?
I question whether you have lowered moral standards by deceiving others intentionally, without feeling guilty
You know, what I'm after so why aren't we laughing now?
You know what my expectations are in this relationship, so why aren't we having fun together?
I thought I made it clear
I am certain that I already communicated my intentions unambiguously
I've shown, what I wanted, slowly you're taunting me
I have demonstrated what I desire, but you are still teasing me and not taking my needs seriously
Cause boy I'm serious about you you you, everything you do do do
I am invested in you, your every move matters to me
Oh boy you pull my strings and I'll do anything
You have power over me, and I will comply to your every wish
But it makes me sick sick sick, oh the way you think think think
Your thoughts and actions disgust me
But I'm a puppet boy and I will, I will always be your toy
Although you manipulate me, I will still be there for you and let you continue to play games with my emotions
I wanna know how you can say all these things
I want to comprehend how you can say similar things to other girls, as well as me
To ninety-nine other girls plus me
You have been saying the same things to multiple girls, including me.
And then I'll go and I'll write you a song and I'll sing sing sing
I will express my emotions toward you through the medium of music
Until I get across to you, just what I mean
I will keep singing until you finally understand the depth of my feelings
Why do you have such control over me?
I am aware that you have an overpowering influence over me, and I don't know why
Why is it so difficult to retreat?
I can't seem to pull myself away from you, and I don't understand why
From the race, from your embrace
I want to distance myself from this unhealthy competition and from your toxic hold on me
From your face that's haunting me
I can't stop thinking about you, and every time I see your face, I am reminded of that
But you're a puppet boy
Despite being in control of me, you are also controlled by something else
And I will, I will always be your toy
I will always be at your beck and call, even if it's to my own detriment.
Contributed by Arianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.