RaeLynn’s ‘Keep Up’ + 14 More New Music Videos [WATCH]
Country artists had an imaginative array of new music videos to share this week, from cinematic mini-movies to behind-the-scenes peeks at life on tour. Read on to watch them all!
RaeLynn, "Keep Up":
RaeLynn's new music video for "Keep Up" features lots of color, bling and an extra special cameo by none other than her husband, Josh Davis. The artist said getting him to agree took a bit of bribing. “I convinced Josh to be a part of the video with some tequila shots,” RaeLynn tells ET. “He’s not much for being in the spotlight!" The high-energy video is a taste of RaeLynn's shimmery persona. “From the moment I wrote ‘Keep Up,’ I had a vision for a fun video that incorporates my personality and all the bright colors,” the artist says of the project. -- LS
Zac Brown Band, "Me and the Boys in the Band":
Zac Brown Band take fans along for the ride on their most recent tours in the new music video for "Me and the Boys in the Band," a fun-loving jaunt down the highways and airplane aisles of life on the road. There's plenty of shots from their live shows in the clip, but fans can follow ZBB when they get offstage, too: The video shows footage of the less glamorous elements of tour life, like make-shift parking lot hang sessions and snack runs at truck stops. -- CL
Hunter Hayes, "Night and Day":
Making the music video for "Night and Day" was a bit of a throwback for Hunter Hayes, who said that the video came together in two day. “We referenced back to things in former videos with me getting to play a few instruments," Hayes told People. Revisiting the old videos and the fact that the entire video was filmed in the artist's basement stretched Hayes to new levels, he says."I got to break out of my comfort zone in general!” -- LS
Orville Peck, "Queen of the Rodeo":
Orville Peck goes spaghetti western in the music video for "Queen of the Rodeo," which tells the story of drag artist Thanks Jem. Jim performs one of many cameos in the gritty video, which also features model Tess Holiday, star of “Dragula Season 3,” and Louisiana Purchase.
"Jem is a First Nations drag queen from Vancouver, BC and also the star of our video." Peck shares in a press release. "She’s always fighting against perception and has a hard time fitting in with the other queens, but to me she has always been a star. The song and video are about allowing yourself to get out of your own way, beat your demons and crown yourself queen of the rodeo.” -- LS
Lilly Hiatt, "Candy Lunch":
The music video for "Candy Lunch" is a pastel-hued, tender visit to childlike joy for singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt. Built on lyrics about self-acceptance and self-love, the video is a gentle rainbow of flavors for your eyes and ears. Directed by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard, the clip plays into Hiatt's ethereal vocals and dreamy instrumentation with Candyland imagery. -- LS
Koe Wetzel, "Forever":
The cinematic music video for Koe Wetzel's "Forever" takes fans into a sleepy pool hall, where a local band plays a poorly-attended set. The group are feeling low as they pack up their instruments and head out, even getting into an expletive-laden verbal tussle in the parking lot, and to make things worse, they miss their bus.
However, luck soon changes when a mysterious van shows up to save the day. The band set off on a rock 'n' roll joy ride, complete with a cop chase and a quick beer (and cupcake) run. -- CL
Sadler Vaden, "Modern Times":
Sadler Vaden addresses the disconnection of "Modern Times" in a new music video for the song. "Reminiscing on simpler times, I was thinking by the rise of connection through the internet and the decline of true human connection, face to face," the artist shares in a press release about the tune. "The narrator sings that in these modern times, it’s hard to know someone for real, but realizes that he or she isn’t any different.” Shot in grainy throwback style, the video features clips of the band recording the track in a living room. -- LS
Parmalee and Blanco Brown, "Just the Way":
Parmalee and Blanco Brown team up for the music video for "Just the Way," and it's a colorful, romantic tribute to love of all shapes, sizes, styles and types. The four-piece North Carolina group join forces with Brown to pay homage to a wide variety of women and girls as they are showered with flowers and balloons. -- LS
Meghan Patrick, "Things I Shouldn't Say":
Meghan Patrick's sultry "Things I Shouldn't Say" has a music video to match, featuring the singer in a dimly lit lounge where she encounters the passionate escalation between a pair of lovers as the night progresses. The shadowy bar leads to a steamy make out session in a car on the nighttime street, and finally into a darkened room, where they give into temptation. Patrick's sexy lyrics provide a stirring soundtrack to the love scene. -- LS
Dylan Jakobsen, "I Am":
Shot on Nashville's streets, the music video for Dylan Jakobsen pays homage to the strengths that people see in themselves. Asking strangers on the sidewalks to choose a word or phrase to describe themselves, the artist said the outcome was dramatic.
“Shooting the video was an incredible process.. We went into downtown Nashville and asked anyone and everyone if they wanted to be a part of the project," Jakobsen tells Sounds Like Nashville. "One of the coolest parts for me was just before they figured out what word or phrase they wanted to write, there’d be this little spark that you’d see go across their face — kind of like a light turning on. It’s definitely an experience I’ll never forget.” -- LS
Adam Sanders, "Ruled the World" (feat. Shenandoah):
Adam Sanders gets a little help from his friends and musical idols in the music video for "Ruled the World." Shenandoah's Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire, along with Tracy Lawrence, Aaron Tippin, Hunter Phelps, Ray Fulcher, Cash Campbell, Faren Rachels, Josh Mirenda, Mitch Rossell and Drew Parker, all show up for a political debate in a busy high-school gymnasium about what would happen if a bunch of rednecks ruled the world. The fun-loving video was a collaborative effort that singers and songwriters all got a piece of. “Each artist featured... mentioned to me at some point that shooting this video was one of, if not the coolest thing, they had been a part of in their careers." Sanders shares in a press release. "And for me, that was the ultimate compliment."
Troy Cartwright, "Cake for Breakfast":
Things get messy in the new music video for Troy Cartwright's "Cake for Breakfast," when a late night visit to a diner turns into a food fight. Directed by Rachel Deeb, the video features Cartwright and his pals as they get into a cake throwing war and the rest of the diners and employees join in the fun. -- LS
Alyssa Trahan, "Memories Not Dreams":
It's a stroll down memory lane for Alyssa Trahan in the music video for "Memories Not Dreams." The touching lyrics play out to still shots and grainy video footage of Trahan's childhood with her family, interspersed with shots of the artist playing her guitar on a solitary stool on a stage, encouraging listeners to leave the world with memories instead of dreams when they go. -- LS
Christian Lopez, "Sip of Mine":
Christian Lopez faces his fears in the new music video for "Sip of Mine." Filmed in the early mornings at Malibu Beach and the artist's hometown in West Virginia, Lopez says the early morning surf was as cold as he's ever been. The scenes put an emphasis on lyrics that tell the story of living life to its fullest in spite of the risks.
Making the video wasn't without it's danger either: In addition to the risk of hypothermia, Lopez tells Billboard the whole crew got parking tickets along the highway at El Matador Beach during filming, even his own 1966 Dodge Polara, which is featured in the video. -- LS
Sean Stemaly, "Last Night All Day":
Sean Stemaly lives an alternate reality in the music video for "Last Night All Day," playing the role of an IT nerd who saves a girl in "digital distress." Stemaly says that making the video was fun for him, still a relative newcomer to videomaking. Directed by Justin Clough, the storyline follows the geek into his fantasy world with the beautiful client. "I’m pumped to put this one out because it shows a different take on the story behind the song," Stemaly tells Taste of Country, "something I didn’t expect when we recorded it." -- LS