My Upcoming Music Video (Part 2)

The plan for my music video has been changed a little bit since my last post!  Me and my producers spoke to the promo company that we are planning to use to promote the single, Stuck In Limbo, and they felt the video was too much like real life and a different approach may be better. As the track is a house mix, the plan is now to have a more upbeat and cheerful video focused on beautiful scenery with intimate and close up shots of me and a friend on a road trip. Certain elements of the previous storyboard remain in the new plan but with more of an emphasis on summer and fun shots.

The video will start off with me in a busy city and this scene will be shot with a time lapse effect, where it looks like the surroundings are moving at hyper-speed whilst I’m not moving.  This is meant to represent the ‘limbo’ theme of the song.  The rest of the video’s scenes are meant to represent a dream or memory state to a better time and take place on a road trip to the coast.  The location is Dungeness, Kent, where there are some cool old boats and other interesting features on the beach to shoot around, as well as the sea and sand itself.  The whole of the video apart from the short opening section in the city will focus on the scenery and natural beauty, as the aim is to keep the video upbeat and not too serious, like an escape from limbo to a better place and time.

I’m filming the video this weekend, Sunday 23rd August, in Milton Keynes and Dungeness, and despite being a little nervous I’m very excited to be doing my first music video!  I’m working with a great team of really creative and lovely people, so I have total faith that despite the changes to the storyboard, the video will turn out great!  I’m sure my next post will have some beautiful pictures from the shoot!

Album: Communion (Deluxe) – Years & Years

I thought I would take some time to appreciate some great music by other musicians and I have chosen the album Communion by Years & Years.  I have been playing this album on repeat ever since I bought it two weeks ago and I’m blown away by how amazing of a debut album it is!  I feel like whatever mood I’m in there is a song on Communion that can enhance my feelings and really draw me into the music.  Olly Alexander’s voice is so unique and beautiful, with such an impressive range, and the synth and keyboard in the tracks complement his vocals so perfectly.  The tracks are really varied, showing many different sides such as the more upbeat singles King and Desire in comparison to the deeper and brooding feel of tracks like 1977.  The album also features a couple of acoustic versions of King and Ready For You, which are both very haunting and moving in their simplicity.

Singling out the best tracks from Communion is really difficult as I think it is so well rounded and there really are songs for every mood…. but that being said I do have my favourites!  I think Gold is the song I play most as I think it builds so well and by the chorus I want to dance around and can’t help but sing along.  It’s such a great song and never fails to cheer me up if I’m feeling a bit down.  I also think Real is a great song for similar reasons, as the intensity grows into the chorus and the beat is infectious.  Take Shelter is my favourite of the singles and I think the video is perfect for the song too.  My final mention is for Eyes Shut as I think this is the most beautiful of the songs on the album.  The vocals are so soft and lovely and the melody is so easy to listen to.  However, for me the lyrics in this track stand out the most, such as, “I want to be bigger than life” and “Nothing’s gonna hurt me with my eyes shut”….. I just love them!

In my opinion, this truly is a remarkable album that has a bit of something for everyone.  If you liked any of their singles and are considering buying the album, then I would definitely recommend that you do…. its amazing!

After That Night

This song is going to be on my upcoming EP and is unique as it’s the only song I have ever written where the lyrics were the component written last. Me and my producers decided we wanted to do a song with a chilled ambient house type feel, so they sent me a backing track to write to and see what I could come up with.  It was a bit of an experiment to be honest as I had no idea if I would be able to write a song this way, as I usually write at the piano and sort the lyrics before the melody and accompaniment! However, I actually really enjoyed challenging myself and pushing my writing to a new level!

The subject matter of the song is also unique in relation to my other songs as it is completely fabricated and not based on my own personal experiences.  I decided I wanted to write about cheating in a relationship but not condemning it in a black and white way, so I added the complication of a friendship into the mix.  The story is about two friends who, whilst both in relationships with other people, cross the line and spend the night together. The song is about the consequences of a flirty friendship going too far and the implications on the relationships they are in.  It’s about not being able to forget what happened and not knowing whether the friendship could go back how it was before.  Anyway….. I really hope you enjoy the song and stay tuned for the house and garage remixes which will be coming soon…..