I heard ‘By Design’ for the first time with a glass in my hand, half-dressed for the night, and it hit like the kind of track that makes you slow down in the mirror just to take in how good you look. Vivian Lok isn’t out here begging for attention—she’s stepping off the plane, sliding into the room, already knowing every eye will follow. “Touchdown Hong Kong from L.A / Yeah every step another slay / I’m doin’ me I’m custom made.” That’s a flex and a reminder. She’s telling us straight up: I’m expensive. I’m the shit.
Vivian’s story makes that confidence even sexier. She came up singing in the Oriana choir at USC’s Thornton School of Music while working on her Master’s, roots sunk deep in classical training, but always itching for pop, EDM, the glitter of the night. She grew up on piano and guitar, covering her favorite artists, shaping that voice into something sleek, something modern. She’s pulled from women like Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, and Ava Max—voices that drip confidence and smooth control. And she’s carved her lane since dropping her debut ‘Sunrise (Moving On)’ in 2020, that Kygo-tinged track that landed her as a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. She’s not a rookie chasing clout; she’s been building toward this glow-up.
Advertisement
When Vivian says “Cartier on my wrist / Marciano on my hips / Oh this body so divine / Head to toe all by design”, it’s about luxury, and it’s about reclaiming self-worth. She wrote this after a trip to Hong Kong where she found herself again, and you can feel it. Every lyric drips with that unapologetic power you get when you remember who the fuck you are. “Got that cherry in my lips / Every boy out here want a kiss.” That line makes me grin because we’ve all been there—knowing we’re the one causing the thirst, watching them stumble, knowing they won’t get close unless we let them. And when she adds “Rodeo knows my name / They see me they just wave,” it’s another flex that doesn’t feel forced—it’s Rodeo Drive as her personal runway, attention following her crown like it’s a spotlight.
And then there’s the playfulness—“Got a brain like Berkeley / Little bit quirky / Oh I know I’m worthy.” It’s flirty and sharp at the same time. Hot girl energy doesn’t just live in body shots and stilettos—it’s brains, it’s quirks, it’s knowing you’re rare and treating yourself accordingly. That balance carries into the next lines too: “Baby I’m one of a kind / I got em losing their minds / Keep it so classy / Little bit sassy / You know that’s my vibe.” She spells out the tension she thrives in—elegance wrapped around edge, the polished woman who still knows how to cut loose.
Advertisement
The production is chic and polished, dripping high-fashion energy. It feels like rooftop cocktails in Central, silk against skin, lights bouncing off champagne glasses. She puts us there with her: “The rooftop vibes / Got me feelin right / The lights in central / It’s essential for the perfect night.” It’s indulgence and freedom in one breath. You feel the sweat of the club, then the calm of silk pajamas in a suite upstairs. She frames it around that Hong Kong trip—stepping off the plane, reclaiming herself in a city that glows with luxury and speed. By the time she’s singing about the lights in Central, you can feel how that place rewired her, how it fed into the confidence this track drips with.
And what I love is how Vivian doesn’t shy from showing both sides—the flex and the ease, the body draped in Marciano and the body just chilling in Victoria’s Secret pajamas. “This life of luxury / Oh it was meant for me / Pajamas chillin, I’m feelin this / Victoria scene.” That duality feels honest. She knows how to turn heads, but she also knows when to slip out, curl up, and still glow like the crown never left her head. The luxury is an accessory stitched into her identity.
For me and my girls, ‘By Design’ is the soundtrack to reminding ourselves we’re diamonds—flawless, rare, and worthy. Vivian gives us a pop-rap anthem that hypes the room and makes you check yourself in the mirror and say yeah, I am divine. Head to toe.
