Wow! You guys are certainly keeping me on my toes!
As such, I wanted to share some content with you from behind the scenes for the “Hey Sugar” photoshoot and music video. Isn’t it the story behind the creation that is always the most interesting?
First off – a big THANK YOU to the pledgers who have supported my “Savannah Soul” Debut Album campaign thus far! It means a lot to have your support and I couldn’t do this without you.
The “Hey Sugar” photoshoot happened ironically on Superbowl Sunday with a group of wonderful and beautiful women. I didn’t know if the photos would ever have a purpose then, but it has since become the cover art for my first single!
Strong Beautiful Women
Striking a pose for Audrey’s portfolio
When photography Audrey Rose sent the photos over, this is what the final product looked like! I think the image captures the fierce intensity inside my soul to create content that will empower and change the world for the better (a journey most of us artists are on).
Here’s what the cover art for iTunes eventually came out like:
iTunes: http://apple.co/1OywGfb
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1ZIcqv9
What about the “Hey Sugar” song? Well the song was inspired when I saw one of my beautiful friends stuck in a toxic relationship. I’m sure we all can relate to this whether we know someone going through it or whether it was us. I wrote the song as a way to inspire her to leave this person and realize that she deserved to be treated much better.
On Monday, October 19th, 2015, while Canadian History was made with Justin Trudeau being elected as the new Prime Minister, I got to visit with Karine – the girl who the song was inspired by. Here we were on the Danforth in Toronto, together again. To sweeten the night even further, the Jays won!
“There’s a difference between hearing and listening – this song made me really listen to what was true. I already knew what I had to do, but this song made me act on it.” – Karine
A big thanks to Julian Taylor who has a new EP out now, for having us at Dora Keough’s! I met Julian at the Folk Music Ontario Conference – I’ll be sharing some updates and stories from my experience there too so stay tuned!
Filming the “Hey Sugar” music video took about two days. We filmed shots between the Union Club in Uptown Saint John & Shadow Lawn in Rothesay.
If you’ve seen the video, you may recognize these props:
The incredible zippo – thanks Guillaume!
A vintage decanter from my fam
Vintage items – combo of family purging, friends and Value Village!
Getting ready can take awhile! Here’s a selfie of me hanging out in the lady’s powder room before we started filming! Can you tell I’m excited for my first music video!?
I think this was like 7:30 am on set….I was up at 5:30am that morning…still working on being a morning person lol
Finally we got rolling! Check these shots out of the beautiful building we were in!
The stairwell at the Union Club
My friend Becky took this pic as I was going down the stairs for the umpteenth time to get the perfect shot – thanks Beck!
One of the things that always warms my heart, is the willingness for companies and individuals to support one another. On set, we got pretty hungry & thirsty! Huge shoutout to Grannan’s Seafood for catering and bringing us some lunch & to Moosehead Breweries for providing some much needed treats for the crew!
Veggies and sandwiches from Granann’s Seafood Restaurant! Big thanks!!
Thanks to Hemmings House for letting us have our lunch in their office & look at some post production footage!
Set relief brought to you by Moose Light!
This outfit is from Heartbreak Boutique in Uptown Saint John!
When you can’t have plants, flowers are a nice alternative…especially roses!
It’s a lot more crazy behind the scenes than you’d think! I always enjoy film sets so I knew a music video set would be just as exciting. I love the creation that takes place when a crew of talented people get together and have specific key roles. Everyone was so professional and extremely efficient.
Thanks to the crew for their help! You can see Lauchlan setting up the frame with Mike – who’s operating the jib!
Close to wrapping for the day!
In my element
This was the end! Finally we got to relax in the editing room and review some footage. A huge thank you to all involved – their time and efforts mean the world!
Photographer Bob Bourgeois & Director Steven Doiron enjoying some of mom’s delicious soup!
Watching the footage…if you look closely, you can see Director Steven Doiron fixing a painting to the left of the screen. Attention to detail!!!
The video is on my profile here but in case you haven’t seen it, feel free to click here and watch it on Youtube.
Last but not least:
A BIG THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE & COMPANIES:
Director Steven Doiron
Director of Photography Lauchlan Ough
Jib Operator Mike Burchill
Grip Patrick McGivery
Photographer Bob Bourgeois
Grannan’s Seafood for providing lunch on set, Moosehead Lager for hydration on set & Hemmings House Pictures for allowing us to use their office as home base.
Makeup Laura Smith
Hair Kristin Carter
Overall Wardrobe & Set Support Alice Fudge & Becky Leets
MOM – thank you so much for the delicious post day meal!
Location: Union Club