Carly Pearce’s ‘Closer to You’ + Nine More New Country Music Videos
In this batch of brand-new music videos, some country stars are smitten, while others are heartbroken, and a new are just...well, partying like they're 21. Read on!
Carly Pearce, "Closer to You":
If you want to know how Carly Pearce feels about fiancé and fellow country star Michael Ray, just watch the music video for "Closer to You" and listen to the poignant lyrics.
“I am in a long distance relationship and I can’t get enough of this person,” she tells Rolling Stone Country. “That for me, lyrically, is what attracted me to this song. You hear the dobro that you hear in all of my music and hear the nuances that make my voice special. Everybody can relate in some capacity to wanting to be with that person who makes you happy.” She adds, “I immediately saw my life in this song when it played. I just related on so many levels to this feeling. I never intended to make a concept single but I feel it’s the natural progression that is my life. It makes sense" (Sounds Like Nashville).
Filmed in Nashville by director Mason Dixon, the video features Pearce, clad in a long emerald gown, pining for her love. Interspersed are clips of Pearce putting the pedal to the metal as she reunites with him. “”It’s no secret I want my fans to experience this exciting journey alongside me – from awards, tours and even my special relationship with Michael,” says Pearce. “As the lyrics say, ‘All I wanna do is get closer to you,’ and that really rings true for me ...” -- CV
Brothers Osborne, “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)”:
Brothers Osborne revealed the music video for "I Don't Remember Me (Before You)" in mid February, and its message hits close to the heart. The storyline focuses on a professional bull rider. As he begins to decline into drinking and drug use, he alienates himself from loved ones. We watch him emptying bottle after bottle, until a serious bull-riding accident scares a little life back into him.
The video was directed by Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver who also did "It Ain’t My Fault" and "Shoot Me Straight." “We’re very excited to release this emotional example of someone’s life being changed by another,” says John Osborne. “We’re never truly ourselves without the ones we love.” TJ adds, “The directors, Wes and Ryan, knocked this video out of the park. We’re beyond proud of this one."
The brothers appear for a few seconds in the music video (as a rodeo clown and EMT), but the storyline is fixated on the bull rider. And don't worry, he has a happy ending. --CV
Ryan Hurd, “To a T”:
Ryan Hurd's new music video for "To a T" showcases real-life couples. They're different ages and in different stages: a newly-engaged couple together for ten months; married for year with a baby on the way, in a relationship for three years and counting; and married for 52 years. The love between each couple is palpable, from late-night snuggles to dancing in the kitchen.
Hurd's wife, Maren Morris, appears via photographs and FaceTime, and the couple's dog, June, also makes a cameo. Morris lent her vocals to "To a T" which embodies the complete comfort and acceptance in a committed relationship. "Take off your makeup, nobody's around / It's you and me, girl, just let your guard down," Hurd sings.
This video was directed by Blythe Thomas and shot on Kodak 16 mm film. -- CV
Kalie Shorr, “Awake”:
Kalie Shorr's new music video for "Awake" (country mix version) was filmed by directors Quinton Cook and Helena Capps. “‘Awake’ started off as a voice memo at a bar in Nashville. Around 2 a.m.,” Shorr tells CMT.com. “I got a phone call from an ex-boyfriend, who needed someone to be there for him, and I am always that person for the people I love. But over the course of this phone call, I started to realize that he’s never been that person for me."
The video features Shorr answering her phone over and over again, even if she doesn't feel like it and even if it's not convenient. “It’s not your typical, ’You only call when you’re drunk,’ song because it’s not about him coming over. It’s not about getting back together. It’s about being his emotional support system after we’re not together anymore. And it was the final straw in me setting that boundary in not doing that anymore," she says.
In the clip, Shorr gets out of the car to come face to face with a guy (presumably her ex). And, she leaves fans hanging with a "to be continued" message at the end of the video. -- CV
Hunter Hayes, “Heartbreak”:
Hunter Hayes' first single in three years, "Heartbreak," now has an accompanying music video. Directed by Colin Duffy, the clip portrays Hayes waking up to his alarm and experiencing a bit of groundhog day--by choice--reliving the day again and again in order to get a little closer to the love of his life. In the song, he essentially turns a breakup into something really optimistic.
"Right after I wrote "One Shot," I had the idea to start journaling love songs to my future better half," he says. "After a relationship ends, I think we all want to know that there is someone for us, but unfortunately, a lot of people have been lead to believe that you're supposed to feel s--tty after a breakup. I want this song to turn that feeling around for people and remind them not to let someone walk out the door with your happiness and your self-worth."
In a press release, Hayes reveals he felt "relieved" and "elated" after writing "Heartbreak" which hails from his forthcoming third album. He tells Hollywood Life, “It’s all about growth, mystery and optimism. I think that sums up the album in a lot of ways, even though there are some sad songs on it. it’s all an optimistic point of view for the most part, and the goal, even with the darker songs, is meant to be optimistic. I think that’s kind of been my spirit as I went through this past chapter and wrote about it and put it into song.” -- CV
Joshua Ray Walker, "Canyon":
Joshua Ray Walker's bittersweet ballad, "Canyon," plays out in a music video that is set against a honky tonk background, grounding the haunting lyrics in a dose of dark reality. Images of a dimly lit bar and the people that inhabit it are interspersed with clips of Walker performing and projections of wide open spaces.
“This video for ‘Canyon’ features all the characters I’ve created, and real people this album is about,” Walker says. “Sometimes, it’s hard to tell truth from fiction in my writing, even for me. This video is a good representation of my view of the world. I think you have to make some bad choices to write a good story.” -- LS
Larkin Poe, "Honey Honey":
The music video for Larkin Poe's "Honey Honey" captures the diverse talents of the duo. Filmed in the UK while the band was on tour, the black and white clips go from recording studio to cathedral to wild countryside as the driving bass line and lyrics describe the variable settings and influences that drive the artists. "Honey Honey I was born for a fast world..." they sing. The video concludes in gritty color scenes from their live performances. -- LS
Jamey Johnson and Bill Anderson, "Everybody Wants to Be Twenty-One":
Jamey Johnson gets some help from Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson in the music video for his song "Everybody Wants to Be 21." Set in a classic car display room, the inter-generational duet plays out between Anderson and Johnson as they examine the merits of being 21, from both sides of the fence, and take a stroll through the vintage cars on exhibit. Concluding song with a powerful harmonized chorus, the age-perspective agrees on one thing, everybody wants to be 21. -- LS
James Barker Band, "Keep it Simple":
The James Barker Band throw it way back in the video for their song "Keep It Simple." Featuring a vintage '50's all-American (or Canadian?) family at home in their living room, the band appears on an old-school TV for an Ed Sullivan-esque performance, complete with fainting fangirls. While the kids boogie to the beat, things get heated up for the parents, who make-out along their way from home to the TV studio. There, their love-fest becomes the evening's entertainment. -- LS
Khalid (feat. Kane Brown), "Saturday Nights (Remix)":
Khalid's remix of "Saturday Nights," with fellow Georgia native Kane Brown, fuses the original pop hit with Brown's trademark sultry sound as the pair appears in a music video overlooking the bright lights of Los Angeles. The re-imagined duet merges Khalid's gentle melody with Brown's smooth vocals against a backdrop of changing sunset-to-dusk hours from the perch above the city. Tag-teaming lyrics, the cross-genre duo builds up to a gorgeous harmony chorus finish on the hilltop Saturday night party spot, complete with a fire pit and abandoned beer bottles. -- LS