The irreverent heartbeat
Ethan Miller
Every feeling gets a joke. Until it doesn’t
Sixteen and quick with a joke, Ethan brings percussion to the Sharpies and turns up at his uncle Guy’s café with the others. His unfinished lyrics keep becoming an essay; Bunny notices and stays to listen.
With Aviva at the piano, he discovers Hold On. He writes its words while she shapes the music, and they work until a line can be sung. Asked who the song is for, he finally admits, “Me, probably.” When Mike hears them perform it at OyPizza, the star wants to sing it himself.
Mike later brings them a new melody. Ethan lights up, then asks whether they can keep singing their own version. At the Times Square final, Paloma’s guitar leaves room for his clarinet. When the Sharpies win, his jokes give way to tears he tries to hide in a towel.
