Paper Plate Cake

Pop ballad with gentle piano arpeggios, soft brushed percussion, and a warm rising pad; verse stays intimate and close-mic, pre-chorus opens with stacked harmony and a small drum lift, chorus lands on a singable hook with doubled lead and tender backing vocals. Add piano chimes between lines, a reversed swell into each chorus, and a final lift with wider strings. Mix is warm, polished, and emotionally close.