Listen to Livingston’s New Single ‘Shapeshifter’
The song explores the cost of changing yourself to earn someone else’s approval.
Livingston has released “Shapeshifter,” a new single about the strain of changing yourself to earn someone else’s approval.
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An extension of “Recognize,” released this summer, “Shapeshifter” moves through a series of contrasting roles in its lyrics. Livingston casts himself as both hero and bad guy, then as breaker and fixer, before turning to the effort required to be seen. A chant-like refrain leads into the song’s central question: how far will someone go to become what another person wants?
Livingston said the track continues a conversation with “Recognize,” adding, “The downside of constant change is you can end up chasing your tail and losing yourself if you’re changing for others.” The songs approach that idea from related angles: “Recognize” is described as a personal, anthemic track, while “Shapeshifter” focuses on the cost of reshaping yourself for someone else.
The single follows “Radiostar,” described in a press release as a high-energy track inspired by 2000s pop, and “Paper Crowns,” which opened Livingston’s current run of releases. Those songs arrived after his 2024 debut album, A Hometown Odyssey, and its 2025 deluxe edition, A Hometown Odyssey (The Story Continues). The original album was written and produced by Livingston in his childhood bedroom and features an introduction by actor J.K. Simmons.
