Jack Stauber is an American independent musician known for short, lo-fi songs and surreal animated videos shared widely online. Short vocal phrases from his work are frequently clipped, looped and reused by fans because they are instantly recognisable and emotionally direct. This 'I hate hoping' clip follows that pattern, circulating as a standalone sound for sad and self-deprecating edits on TikTok and in video memes. Its appeal lies less in a single viral moment and more in its repeatability as shorthand for dashed expectations.
About this sound
A short Jack Stauber clip repeating I hate hoping over a lo-fi melody, used in sad edits and TikTok videos about disappointment and unmet expectations.
This twelve-second clip captures Jack Stauber's wistful vocal line 'I hate hoping' layered over a soft, slightly warped synth melody and a gentle, shuffling beat. His voice sounds tired and resigned rather than angry, rising and falling in a way that makes the phrase feel both sincere and oddly catchy. The lo-fi texture gives it a dreamy, late-night quality, as if it were pulled from a bedroom recording. Played on its own it lands as a small sigh of frustration, but in an edit it instantly signals disappointment, quiet heartbreak, or the feeling of waiting for something that never arrives.