Mankind’s Apathy and the Merry-Go-Round of Life

If you'd like to support Fico's journey to AMDA, there are a few ways to help:

by donating to his GoFundMe, or simply by sharing his campaign and streaming his music. 

Spreading the word is just as valuable as a monetary donation!

In the arduous, cyclic currents of our existence, death may be the wandering waves murmuring relief in the hard seashell of life we bear every day. Although there are unfortunate souls who share a more intimate resonation with the notes of death, there are people such as Fico (Federico Martínez) for whom the reverberating notion of passing is consoling amidst hardships — not as a desire, but as a theory of rest.

Released on May 29th, 2026, SUICIDAL is the debut single from Fico, a 19-year-old singer-songwriter who has been developing his artistry from Colombia to the AMDA College of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. In it, the artist expresses the vulnerability of having no intention of purposely ending one’s life, but the amalgamation of exhaustion from a life that maintains no definition or argument to continue living, only functioning out of necessity as if it was committed to death prematurely.

It is a delicate truth, and one that gives its listeners strength in the silent hardships they may carry. The song does not arrive with the explosive urgency of a crisis — it arrives slowly, the way that particular kind of tiredness does. An indie-rock arrangement built on raw guitar chords underpins Fico's dynamic, high-strung vocal, which carries itself like a tightrope drawn taut against the release of anguish: controlled, but only just. The guitar does not ornament or distract — it mirrors, tracing the contours of an internal cry with the restraint of someone who has learned to hold things in.

Fico carries an intensely relatable message throughout. When he sings “deserts of doubt have almost drained my life,” he's inviting his inner mental state and journey that extends a hand, a voice to others who share the same scars. In the unvarying 24 hours, 365 days we pass through, the pain and pleasure of life can be difficult to discern what is worth among the wilted. We gain a sense of apathy, holding no convicting care, attention, or emotion to our lives past getting through the next hour or even minute of our days, not truly living.

What makes SUICIDAL so particular in the way it handles this weight is its precision about what kind of ending it mourns. Fico’s dynamic, high-strung vocal is the emotional characterization of the tight rope fastened against the release of anguish, “a release from the heaviness bound in my heart,” the chance to rest from it all. Life does not deal even with hands, or a boundary on the extent of pain it distributes, and it can illustrate hopelessness, exhaustion in a person who wishes for it to all end. But what exactly is the end we pursue, carrying not one singular name? An end to the societal pressures, the mundane hamster wheel routine of everyday, the disease of humanity is ridden with various causes that ail the heart and mind. Is it such a greed to want a repose amongst it all, even for one day to be happier and at ease? Fico does not request and demands, “take me/into a place where we can feel alive” with no noise or static of the world and his thoughts. The guitar carries the raw chord of an internal cry, beautifully demonstrating the message on a more immense canvas in an indie-rock method.

SUICIDAL is a song as intense and weighted as the title possesses, the instrumental as passionately convoluted as the human emotion is, and Fico’s vocals are the rough sands against us that ground our thoughts that show we are not alone. Listeners may be holding that seashell, entertaining those softened vows death whispers in harder moments, but the lightened resonance of Fico's melodies yields a much stronger volume. The track is both the validation of these tempted thoughts and a testament to the absolute willpower it takes to still desire despite them all — to still hear yourself above those alluring calls.

That is the difference Fico provides in SUICIDAL: not the silence of survival, but the act of still wanting. Still dreaming. He urges listeners within those emotions that caring — for life, for the future, for the version of yourself on the other side of this — is the motivator to continue on. It is the helping hand that prevents us from reaching the state past it. For a debut single, that is a remarkable thing to offer. Most artists spend years building toward that kind of honesty. Fico arrives there first.

If this song resonates with you in a deeper way, you are not alone. Support is available:

🇨🇴 Colombia — Línea 106 (Línea de Salud Mental), available 24/7, free and confidential.

🇺🇸 United States — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, available 24/7.

🇪🇺 European Union — findahelpline.com connects you to crisis support in your country.

🌎 Global — www.wannatalkaboutit.com

About the artist

Federico Martínez, known as FICO, is a 19-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter who crafts music that articulates what most people feel but few dare to say. His sound blends the raw energy of indie rock with profound emotional depth—creating melodies that feel alive on the surface while carrying the weight of authentic human experience.

A lifelong performer, FICO’s dedication to his craft recently earned him a prestigious scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Los Angeles. Currently preparing for his 2027 enrollment, FICO is building a community of support to turn this opportunity into a sustainable reality.

For FICO, his music and his journey are one and the same: they are driven by the pride of his Colombian roots, a commitment to artistic excellence, and the belief that the most meaningful dreams are built in community. He is currently focused on his upcoming projects and his transition to the Los Angeles stage, where he aims to use his platform to represent his heritage and eventually create doors of opportunity for the next generation of artists.

Note from the editor: Frontlight congratulates Fico on his high school graduation today, July 3rd, 2026! This is only just the beginning. You’re a star in the making!