Florida Georgia Line Get Sentimental in "Dirt"

Florida Georgia Line release new single and video for "Dirt" and it's a bit of a change for the Country music's party-friendly duo as boys start thinking about settling down in the lead-off single from their upcoming sophomore album. A plot of land tugs hard on Tyler Hubbard's and Brian Kelley's souls in this pensive ballad, offering up its history and its future, its memories and its potential. The clip sees a love through the years and showcases a sweet love story that truly comes full circle. From being young, in love (and dirty) to one of the partners in the couple passing away, the video cherishes it all.
Florida Georgia Line have said their new single would be different and they weren't lying. "Dirt" show the guys' sentimental side. The heartfelt mid-tempo ballad veers the duo far from the rising popularity of bro-country they embraced with such songs as "Cruise" and "This Is How We Roll," while featuring Hubbard and Kelley celebrating a couple who create a life on a dirt field, raise their family, surround it with a white picket fence, and enjoy the good life right there on their own little plot of the American Dream.
Kelley says "Dirt" really touched him and fellow bandmate Hubbard. "We had goose bumps the first time we heard it. With most of our other singles, you don't have to think at all, it's a self-explanatory feel-good song," he tells People Country. "But this one makes you dig a little deeper, makes you think about your life and where you're at and where you want to be." The video  paints a similar image, couple epitomize the song and brings the song to life as it gives the song a nice narrative with noted songwriter-turned-actor JD Souther playing a husband eulogizing his wife, who has returned to the dirt.
The clip begins with Souther discussing the love of his life and why 1968 was such a meaningful year to him. "It was the first year that Rosie started bringing my lunch out to the field every day," he says. A young Rosie brings her farmhand boyfriend lunch before the two roll around in the mud. Then, it's their wedding day and he's chasing his young wife with the down-home mud on his hands. The couple proceed to have five children, one of which dies at birth. They teach their children the same value of a small town's dirt. Meanwhile, Florida Georgia Line sing their sentimental Southern song from a barn.

Hunter Hayes reveals bullying past in "Invisible"

Hunter Hayes goes for full-on inspirational in the touching video for his latest single, "Invisible," debuted at this year's Grammy Awards in January 26, is the first single from Hayes' sophomore set, "Storyline," out May 6. This new clip depicts the struggles described in Hayes' powerful song, a complex and satisfying expression of vulnerability, plays out various scenarios in which people, especially students, can feel as if they are invisible. Feeling low? Have you ever felt invisible? Hayes' "Invisible" will get you through today.
Hayes is only 22, but the young country artist is going to be hearing from fans for the rest of his career about how his current single, "Invisible," helped them through a rough time. The uplifting song, is about overcoming personal struggles and adversity, whether from bullying or loneliness, a subject that is close to the singer's heart. The message of "Invisible" is more than just your new pick-me-up anthem, but also has a quantifiable real-life impact: For every download of the song from iTunes, 'Child Hunger Ends Here' will donate the equivalent of one meal to 'Feeding America,' up to one million meals.
Hayes spoken earlier about writing this piano ballad about his being bullied in high school, "To me it's also just about being misunderstood. Just me being in high school, just the smallest scale I know compared to a lot of stories that I've heard, a lot of people that I've met... yes, I was a total geek, I was a total nerd, and you know, I still am, and I'm proud of that. But it took me a while to realize that it's OK to be proud of that, right? Because in that time and period of my life, if you didn't fit in, what else was there? Fortunately for me I had incredible parents, I had an incredible support system, musicians around me, and that showed me that there was hope that there was maybe something else I could look forward to."
The clip opens on a night drive amidst gleaming lights, but the '80s-synth nightmare of "Drive," this is not. Instead, the video features vignettes of people down on their luck or faced with a rough situation: a mother ignored by her son, a girl picked on in class, a hungry kid coming home to an empty fridge. Soon, in comes Hayes to the rescue: "Hear me out/ There's so much more to life than what you're feeling now," Hayes sings as the country-pop track swells to an electric climax. Some nifty special effects help the actors bring the song's title to life, but as Hayes delivers an emotional guitar solo, they go from fading to glowing.

Cassadee Pope "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart"

Cassadee Pope breaks literal hearts in her Valentine's Day-themed visual for "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart," the second single and the follow-up to her breakthrough debut single "Wasting All These Tears," off her solo debut album "Frame by Frame." While "Wasting All These Tears" was a somber, country-pop ballad, Pope's latest subject matter isn't much happier and is another catchy pop/rocker right in Pope's wheelhouse. In this song, she's frustrated she can't return the hurt a lover bestows upon her, but she sounds much peppier.
In this country-rock mid-tempo, the former Hey Monday frontwoman laments she just can't be a bad girl. She's too sweet as she sings on the chorus "Well the truth is that I never ever wanna hurt you baby, but it'd be nice to know that I could... I wish I could break, I wish I could break your heart." In an interview with Radio.com earlier this year, Pope explained why she first gravitated to the song, co-penned by country songstress  Gordie Sampson, Ashley Monroe and Jon Green. "It's a positive song but its kind of got this snarky, interesting negative side. It's not make or break. It's not a heartbroken song where the world's going to end but it's a song about loving somebody."
"It's a great relationship; you're happy but you know that they could break you so easily and you feel so vulnerable. And you feel too weak compared to them and you wish if you could see if you could break them if they would fall apart. If they would fall to pieces. I think that's a really cool and honest lyric. It's an outside song and I just love what it says." Pope said the song is very similar to Faith Hill's 2002 hit, "Cry." "You just wish that that other person would feel a little more and you wish that you could almost make them cry, just to know that you have that power over them," she explained. "But, it's overall a very happy song. I love the silly, playful undertone that that song has."
In the Wes Edwards-directed video, 'The Voice' Season 3 champ looks beautiful in a variety of outfits while surrounded by glass hearts as she shakes things up channeling her inner Faith Hill with elegant costumes and the desire to make you cry. Pope gets her titular wish in the video that sees the Florida stunner singing in a series of Valentine's Day-themed sets. She even sings inside a jumbo electronic heart that looks like the type of thing Cher would pop out of on tour. By the video's end, she breaks an actual heart even though it's a dinky little glowing thing that shatters under her heel. Watch Pope wailing in a wedding dress below!

The Band Perry unveils "Don't Let Me Be Lonely"

After the haunting tale of love gone crazy in "Better Dig Two" and the definitive statement that was "Done," country sibling trio The Band Perry, fronted by Kimberly Perry, and rounded out by her younger brothers Neil and Reid,  is shifting to a more reflective place and decided to soften things up with a new video for their latest power ballad "Don’t Let Me Be Lonely," the third single from country music group's platinum debut and gold sophomore album, "Pioneer," which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and No.2 All Genre.
Written by Sarah Buxton, Chris Tompkins and Rodney Clawson, "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" deftly balances country music's roots with a pop-leaning melody. It is fiddle-filled progressive Country music with introspective lyrics which find Kimberly singing of yearning to break free before it turns into a heartbreaking, and the loss of reckless abandonment of youth and how when we become adults, we often want to get the same feelings back, especially in our moment's of darkest despair. "When you're young, life's a dream, it's a beautiful and burning thing, we grow up and then it's gone, but the memory burns on..." says the bridge of the ballad and it finds a poetic, smart lyric.

The savvy ballad is lyrically deeper than its popish hooks suggest, showcasing how The Band Perry and their label were smart enough to record the song. Loss of youthful innocence is behind the lyrics. Kimberly is a talented vocalist capable of projecting a wide variety of emotions, but vulnerability may be what she does best. The romance angle is somewhat forced and never fully realized, leaving the overall message a little cloudy. Subtle obfuscation has served The Band Perry well. The sharper moments come describing the passage of time and tragedy of growing up: "Well the night rolls on like a long lost friend / 'Til the sunrise bleeds like the bitter end / Don't let me be lonely."
The Ben Krebs-directed video is warm and moving. It shows the three sibling bandmates are shown looking rather lonely traveling to various places and performing on different stages, thus giving their fans and audiences a look into their daily lives and what goes on behind-the-scenes. Ultimately, though, the song and the video open up into an invitation, transforming the melancholy moments into a celebratory mood that's bursting with emotion–and doing so accompanied by bright stage lights and a blistering guitar solo.

Cassadee Pope debuts "Wasting All These Tears"

Cassadee Pope has released her debut music video for her debut country-rock track, "Wasting All These Tears," the lead single of Pope's upcoming untitled debut studio album, which slated for release in October via Republic Nashville. The Voice has proven more consistently entertaining than its competition, but the show has yet to produce any breakout stars from its winners' roster until Pope? We know she's no slouch in the vocal department and this tune gives 23-year-old singer a big, challenging melody to show off her range.
The Season 3 winner's new single "Wasting All These Tears," is an instantaneous monster of a pop-country midtempo ballad, delivering shades of Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You" with the melodramatic production of Carrie Underwood's "Two Black Cadillacs." Lyrically, it's from the perspective of a wronged woman who has put herself through the wringer over a guy and has finally decided that it's time to get over him already, and it's magic - the details are finely wrought and the chorus melody soars majestically.
While enjoyable, "Wasting All These Tears" exemplifies the difference between a pop-country song and a country song performed by a pop singer. It’s clearly a modern melodramatic pop-country masterpiece, and there's nothing here that says that it couldn't crossover into the pop realm, something Pope and her label likely had in their minds all along. Still, despite the crossover nature of the track, Pope delivers a strong sense of attitude and connects with the lyrics and that's more than enough to suggest the birth of a potential star.
Filmed in Nashville's Germantown neighborhood by director Brian Lazzaro, the clip stays true to the song lyrics with the storyline based around surviving a painful discovery, swinging from carefree scenes of young love to the breathless moments of deceit. It’s basically glamor flashbacks to Pope and her ex boyfriend in a swing, really happy, but eventually, discovering her boyfriend cheating with a girl, which feels spectacularly anticlimactic. The clip then shows she performs with her band in a warehouse and ends with Pope sitting in a swing while the rain still falling. Throughout the video, Pope channels her frustration, anger, sadness, and strength at the camera, making an impressive music video debut!

Taylor Swift describes her emotions are "Red"

Taylor Swift is celebrating the Fourth of July by releasing a live performance video for her hit song, "Red," the title track of her mega-selling record breaking 2012 album. The 23-year-old country/pop superstar relies on loads of "Red" tour footage to piece together the four-minute visuals, that fittingly kicks off with Swift backstage huddled in a circle with her crew before showing highlights from her sold-out global trek. The clip pastes together highlights from Swift‘s "Red" Tour, concerts and several awards-show performances. Swift proves she can do no wrong by pulling off the seemingly impossible task of making an entertaining and engaging live video.
"Red" is a 16-song geyser of willful eclecticism that's only tangentially related to Nashville. On "Red," Swift once again shares deeply personal songs that begins and ends on romantically hopeful notes. Aside from acting on the impulse to drive former boyfriends aurally insane, "Red" also shows Swift expanding her musical vocabulary. Her lyrics are less likely to take on a petulant tone; she's less apt to play the victim, more willing to own up to a role as willing participant in relationships, even the ones that aren't healthy. "It was almost like an apprenticeship," she says.
The heartbreak song finds Swift playing with the idea of colors in relation to her emotions about a relationship. Before playing the track, Swift explained: "I wrote this song about the fact that some things are just hard to forget, because the emotions involved with them were so intense and, to me, intense emotion is red." Swift decided to name the this song as her album title, as its lyrics encompass the entire theme of the project. "Thinking about what that means to me and all the different emotions that are written about on this album - they're all pretty much about the tumultuous, crazy, insane, intense, semi-toxic relationships that I've experienced in the last two years, All those emotions spanning from intense love, intense frustration, jealousy, confusion in my mind, all those emotions are red."
In selecting the footage that goes into the final video, Swift chose her favorite moments from her tour, which were so many she can't say if any which one stood out as the highlight. "I'm so excited that the new video for 'Red' comes out this evening! Also very excited about all the red, white, & blue happening tomorrow," Swift tweeted to announce the premiere of the new clip a day before Independence Day. As expected, there were splashes of red, as Swift embraces her inner-rock chick, whipping her golden mane and riffing on the guitar like the lead singer in an '80s hair band with her back-up dancers, but all throughout the video, everywhere the camera pans out, there the crowds are, enjoying the concert.

Taylor Swift debuts "Everything Has Changed"

Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are fully return from cynical adults to the wonders of childhood and play princess and knight in the impossibly adorable video for their collaboration single, "Everything Has Changed," the fifth single off Swift's multi-platinum fourth studio album "Red." They showcase miniature doppelgängers building an everlasting friendship and first childhood love at a tender age. "I've been excited about this for a very long time. Now I get to share it with you," Swift tweeted.
"Everything Has Changed" is a country pop song in an acoustic style. The lyrical content explores two lovers finding the things around them changing after they first met. Swift described the track as simply "about falling in love. It's about meeting someone and all of a sudden your entire perspective on the world changes - you're thinking for two, instead of one." She also told MTV News how she transforms her emotions into songs. "When I'm writing a song, I'm so in that zone that it's really sort of a trance I go into and I'm just kind of thinking about what I would say to this person that I'm writing the song about if I could just say whatever I wanted to them right now; that's kind of where I go in my head."
Though Sheeran comes from a folk background and Swift a country one, they serenade each other on this sweet duet about the sudden impact of new romance. Thematically, this is Swift at her most familiar and clichéd, but Sheeran's tender harmonies lend the song some much-needed depth. It is a gorgeous love song that uses simplicity as its prime weapon - it's just the two of them, a vague guitar, and almost distant drums - in order to show that she doesn’t need any extra effects to still write a stirring ballad. Rather, her sense of harmony will do the track just fine.
This has got to be the most adorable thing ever! The super sweet video follows a tall, longhaired little girl goes on the school bus and interacts with a redheaded little boy. It is clear that they are meant to look like miniature versions of Swift and Sheeran. They play together and get adventurous at school and strike up a friendship that sees the pair doing arts and crafts, building forts and experiencing life, as only a child knows how. The climax of the clip is a heart-melting slow dance in an empty gymnasium; just try to resist the urge to sob, even before Swift and Sheeran show up as their parents at the end.

Carrie Underwood pays tribute in 'See you again'

Carrie Underwood paying tribute to the victims of the recent deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma in the new video which exclusively on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday for her latest tearjerker single, "See You Again," the fourth single and one consistent fan-favorite from Underwood's fourth studio album, "Blown Away." The 30-year-old singer also appeared on the CMT Music Awards on Wednesday night in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and performed "See You Again," recasting it as a somber memorial and she says the song is just right for these times. It's got us curled up in a ball of emotion.
Underwood wrote this power ballad about reuniting with a loved one in heaven with Nashville songwriter Hillary Lindsey and former Evanescence member David Hodges. "See You Again" tells the story of moving onwards after experiencing the death of a loved one in life. The lyrics provide hope and promise through Underwood's strong Christian faith that one will reunite with every fallen loved one in the afterlife. The song's opening consists of a solo piano, followed by a backing chorus and band kicking in shortly after. The song to be truly a taste of heaven, carries a hope-filled, inspirational message about a love that lasts forever, and, that's a sentiment she thinks people can really use.
The lyrics hold a simple ‘death is not the end' message but suffer from a lack of context; it is a flaw that given the song's origin I can overlook. The song isn't looking to tell a story, but rather just trying to describe a feeling. What is mostly in the way of doing that is the 1990's power pop production with vocal delays and big choruses. Underwood's voice has always been most effective when left unadorned, as she promptly demonstrates in the well-executed breakdown. What pulls it over the line however, and presumably why it has become a fan-favorite, is its sincerity in wishing to bring comfort and Underwood’s confident performance.
The emotional clip builds on the faith-based message of the song that runs through vaguely inspirational footage and tugs at heartstrings with several emotional shots, including soldiers saying goodbye to their families and dedications to the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut and the tornadoes in Oklahoma, while the country-crooner belts out her inspirational lyrics and looking luminous in a gauzy white dress in a gauzy white room, all blonde and gauzy and pretty and bathed in heavenly light. Nothing illustrates this more than the adorable little girl running to her dad, who has returned from war. Lots of patriotism here in true Underwood fashion!

Florida Georgia Line hit the road for "Cruise"

Florida Georgia Line hit the road to do the cruise with St. Louis rapper Nelly in the video for the urban-flecked remix of the country duo's smash hit "Cruise," the lead single from the up-and-coming country duo's extended play "It'z Just What We Do," as well as included on their debut studio album, "Here's to the Good Times." The mid-tempo track had become the best-selling song by a country duo in digital history and has already become a fan favorite live, as it sets the bar for a fun, summertime anthem for years to come.
The song tells a familiar story about an attractive woman with whom the male narrator wants to "cruise" in his car, and they end up in a summer romance. The girl described in "Cruise" is the typical country-song wet dream. This isn't an original story, but it's one that never gets old. Florida Georgia Line's Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard play it with inspiration and their formal training shows in the tight execution of this lyric-heavy summer song. If anyone should know a thing or two about southern love in the country, it's a band called Florida Georgia Line. They don’t disappoint with "Cruise," although the bridge could be cut without consequence.
In this very contemporary tune, the R&B influences are obvious in both the rhythm and the melody. It gives the song that uber-laidback quality that often characterizes popular summer singles. "Cruise," became a Top 10 pop hit after it was remixed with some hip-hop flavor by Nelly, is what you might classify as finesse. Because Nelly has previous experience dueting with Tim McGraw on 2004's "Over and Over," he can rap over a back-porch strum without freaking out and shrugging off several centuries of slavery. This isn't faint praise - it takes a certain dignity to commiserate with the pretty-boy dorkuses of Florida Georgia Line without them mudflaps kicking some up on you.
These boys all bring their fast, fun and the furious ways to share the love for fast cars and hot women that invites plenty of dancing along and a little acceleration when it comes to the gas pedal. This remix and its video embody that spirit. The Marc Klasfeld-directed remix video takes us from daylight dirt racing to dancing at night with the ladies and sees St. Louis MC drives a white Ferrari, while Florida Georgia Line duo races monster trucks through the desert. Nelly gets pulled over by a cop, who strips off her clothes before jumping in the car. It celebrates the pursuit of a good time and how getting their fast is mission critical, so you can further enjoy the festivities. Buckle up for the ride.

Florida Georgia Line "Cruise" a summer romance

Florida Georgia Line will have you longing for the sunny, warm days of summer with their music video for the breakthrough hit tune, "Cruise," their remarkable debut single with Republic Nashville, and the lead single from the up-and-coming country duo's debut five-song EP, "It'z Just What We Do." The song halts Taylor Swift's nine-week reign with her country-turned-pop crossover hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back ogether," is cruising up the Billboard charts for "US Country Airplay," "US Country Songs" and making good use of the last few days of summer.
Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard are making quite an impression in country music with their tight musicianship and exceptional talent for writing catchy songs. The two co-wrote all of the tracks on "It'z Just What We Do." In just a few short seconds, Florida Georgia Line make a memorable impression on "Cruise." The duo have been performing together since graduating from Belmont University, and their formal training shows in the tight execution of this lyric-heavy summer song. It's Hubbard's unique voice that stands out immediately. He doesn't sound like anyone else on country radio. His grainy southern drawl layers over banjo and electric guitars like gravy on grits.
The mid-tempo song "Cruise," tells a familiar story. The main character eyes a pretty woman on the beach, invites her for a ride, and they end up in a summer romance. This isn't an original story, but it's one that never gets old. These boys play it with inspiration and their formal training shows in the tight execution of this lyric-heavy enjoyable country summer song. In this very contemporary tune, the R&B influences are obvious in both the rhythm and the melody. It gives the song that uber-laidback quality that often characterizes popular summer singles.
Directed by Brian Lazzaro and filmed on a farm just outside of Nashville, the video's opening scene will have you wishing you were in your own ride, cruisin' down a back road with the windows down and music cranked way up loud, just as the duo does in a Silverado truck, that is until they spot a long-haired beauty in a bikini. Kelley pulls the truck over and snatches up his girl, and Hubbard does the same just a little further down the road at a small town gas station pump, before rolling in for the big party performance where their real-life friends and family all join in on the fun.

Hadyen Panettiere Gets Revenge In "Telescope"

Apparently, you can't hide from Hayden Panettiere, who gets her own kind of revenge in the new video for the pop-country song, "Telescope," the lead single from the forthcoming "The Music of Nashville: Original Soundtrack," off of her TV show, "Nashville," in an art-imitates-life-imitates-art way. Will "Telescope" be a real radio hit or just a novelty? Probably somewhere closer to a novelty.
The 23-year-old New York native actress, who stars as teenage vixen Juliette Barnes on the new ABC's country music drama, which centers on the lives of two women in the country music industry. One is more seasoned and the other is sort of an up-and-coming star with an edge. It isn't captivating audiences solely with its soapy story lines, but also produces catchy country hits. The "Telescope," a toe-tapping breakup anthem is a sassy upbeat song about girl done wrong, with a very cute concept and catchy lyrics that stick in your head.
Now, thanks to her role on the ABC drama, Panettiere not only gets to play a country star, but is also living in Music City, where the TV show is being filmed. "It's the perfect place to be. It's the epitome of southern hospitality. People come up and they're just so pleasant to you," Panettiere shared with Rachael Ray earlier in the week about going country. "[I was a] huge fan of country music, and that's always genuinely where my heart was. I've loved singing since I was little, and I actually headed down the road of doing an album for awhile." It's a blur these days, she says, but she's enjoying every second of it.
Not only does the clip feature her cute country twang and rocks this vengeful, sexy country number, but it also shows Panettiere outs to teach his lover a lesson that no guy cheats on her and gets away with it in the video, which is filled with spy-like scenes complete with film noir style lighting and camera work, plus quick shots of guns, a mapped-out evidence board, guy tied up in ropes, a secret love affair, and, of course, telescopes. The visuals cuts back and forth showing Panettiere's tough persona in seductive shots and takes of her giving some serious punishment to her cheating and scheming tattooed lover.

Carrie Underwood Faces Storm in "Blown Away"

Carrie Underwood has premiered a brand-new video on E! News for her dark power ballad "Blown Away," and the 29-year-old former "American Idol" winner creates a dramatic storyline that takes her from being the studious child of an angry alcoholic to the gorgeous survivor emerging into the light of a bright new day. This chilling song is the second single and title track off Underwood's fourth album of same name. Underwood's vocals are majestic, and the somber clip could be one of the most intense clips Underwood has ever released.
"Blown Away," the dark hit song, which has chilling lyrics and a haunting melody, speaks of a female, it's not specified whether she is an adult or child, and her revenge towards her abusive father while using a tornado storm as a metaphor to her anger. This song is extremely bold in both its lyrical content, which deals with child abuse, and its amazingly creative sonic landscape which takes the listener on the child's ride through a storm in Oklahoma that might be able to sweep all her problems away.
Underwood discussed the song's storyline during an interview: "The song is a story about a girl and her father," she said. "The song describes him as a mean old mister. And you can kind of make that as bad, I guess, as you want it to be. You know, the daughter wishes that, you know, she can feel a storm coming, and she just wishes it would wash her past away, and in doing so, you know, take her father along. So it's a very, you know, just deep, dark story and so visual, this song is. You know, when you hear the words and you hear the music, you can just see it all happening in your head."
The Randee St. Nicholas-directed clip fits in perfectly with the song, and finds finds the country superstar playing two roles. She portrays her character as both a teenager and as an adult, and borrows a bit from the theme of 'The Wizard of Oz' when she running through a dark and windy field and is caught up in a tornado. She engages in what looks like a heated domestic dispute with a man, and bedeviled by whisky, twisters and history. But like a modern-day Dorothy, she isn't about to let an abusive relationship or a catastrophic weather event keep her down for long.

Taylor Swift Survives One Boring Day In "Ours"

Taylor Swift has one boring day at work but ends in the best way possible in the video for the country songbird's latest single, "Ours," and it's a thoroughly adorable clip that fits perfectly among Swift's other crushingly cute videos. The 2011 Billboard Woman of the Year honoree survives the day only because she's looking forward to coming home and welcoming back her "distant love," who happened to be away serving in the military.
The tune serves as the sixth offering from her multiplatinum-selling album "Speak Now," "Ours" was solely written by Swift as a love letter and as being in love and knowing that they can make it through the rough times. The song finds Swift in a relationship of which others do not approve. She reassures her beau that despite the criticism they are getting, she loves him. It's a pretty, slower tempo song that showcases Swift's strengths, which are her inviting, open journal lyrics and that sweet voice. Swift saved the best for last.
Directed by Declan Whitebloom, the video features the soon-to-be 22-year-old out of princess mode, plays herself as a bored corporate drone sleepwalking through an average day: awkwardly riding the elevator, and dealing with the average frustrations like an out-of-order copy machine and cliquey girls in the break room, until she's reminded that there's always a special someone she can count on. Admittedly, she looks more flawless and glowing than any office worker we've ever seen, but we'll cut her a break.
Everything that can go wrong does. It's not her day, nor is it her life. Throughout the clip, the only thing keeping Swift sane is dreaming about her absent boyfriend, who makes a return by the song's end. "I had a very definitive idea of what I wanted this video to be," Swift told E! News. The overarching theme of the "Ours" video is that deep down, we're all looking to connect with people, be it on the surface, in a fleeting moment or something deeper. It makes you think about engaging in conversation with that guy you ignore in the elevator every morning or making eye contact with that person on the bus and sharing a smile. It's a really lovely, little video that captures the nice nature of the song. It’s those quiet ones you have to watch.

Taylor Swift Lights Up The Night In "Sparks Fly"

There's a reason this blond beauty was named ACM Entertainer of the Year. She puts on one heck of a show! Taylor Swift's new "Sparks Fly" video would be rather hum-drum if one didn't know the footage was captured from four dates on her 'Speak Now' Tour, which just surpassed Paul McCartney's summer tour for most tickets sold. The magic and theatrics she's able to capture on stage rival what almost anyone else is able to dream up for a more Hollywood-like "produced" music video, and and you might be in it!
This is the oldest song on "Speak Now" and Swift first performed the song live back in 2008. The chorus remains the same since its original outing, but some of the verses have been changed. Swift sings in this song of an attraction to a guy who is "a bad idea." She explained the lyrics on her website: "'Sparks Fly' is about falling for someone who you maybe shouldn't fall for, but you can't stop yourself because there's such a connection and chemistry. This is a song I wrote a few years ago and I have been working on it ever since. It's been awesome to see it change over the years. The fans have heard it before in concert, but there have been some really cool changes that I am very proud of."
Capturing the essence of a live show normally isn't a tall task for an artist. A Swift concert is more Broadway production than typical country concert, however. The 21-yesr-old the singer is giving millions of loyal fans a front-row seat to her show. One imagines this video's editor pulling his hair out at the roots trying to deciding what footage should be left on the cutting room floor. It seems like there is enough going on to justify a two-hour television event. Sadly we only get four minutes, a montage of explosive highlights from her international tour.
Much like the video is a thank-you letter to her fans, the tour also served as a way for Swift to show some love to her loyal followers. The country music cutie gives her devotees a tour experience in the clip by compiling footage from her ongoing traveling show across the US. The Christian Lamb-directed video perfectly encapsulates the tour's high-octane energy including theatrical set changes, dancers, aerialists, fireworks, pyrotechnics, costume changes and the occasional rainstorm. Still, all eyes are on Swift who is strutting her stuff, wiping her blonde hair and twirling around the stage in high spirit.

Shania Twain Returns With "Today Is Your Day"

Shania Twain is back and revealing her first new song and gave fans what they've been longing for six years! After a self-imposed musical hiatus filled with personal setbacks, the happy newlywed returns better than ever with a new video featuring the country megastar rehearsing her new tune, "Today Is Your Day," which celebrates living in the moment. With personal footage of her days, the new video assures fans that the 45-year-old country-pop superstar is continuing her reign as best-selling female artist in country music.
The inspirational piano ballad encouraging song with uplifting message will serve as the lead single of her upcoming fifth studio album. This self-empowerment anthem, which she co-produced with Nashville producer Nathan Chapman is a singalong of jangly piano and kindergarten rhymes. The Canadian songstress debuted the song on the June 12, the series finale of her reality television show, "Why Not? With Shania Twain," and the tune finds Twain summing up her recovery in Hallmark-worthy slogans. A great Twain song was about the attitude and the story more than the poetry, but these lyrics feel a tad trite, even by her standards.
"I wrote this song in real time as the series developed," the songbird tells Perez Hilton. "I'm mixing the record now, and by the end of the series the song should be released. I'm so excited! I can't believe it!" Twain explained the inspiration for this song: "The purpose of writing 'Today Is Your Day' in the first place was self-inspiration," she said. "I was talking to myself and saying, 'Today is your day. You can do it!' But the decision to even write the song and share it was a big decision for me, to find myself as a songwriter again, independently, for the very first time after all these years."
Twain gives her fans a closer look at her everyday life in new video for "Today Is Your Day," which showing the singer looking better than ever. The country legend is seen busy writing song, recording it in studio, and doing interviews and promo appearances for the song. While she sings the opening verses of the song, Twain proves she is a strong woman in more ways than one, as personal footage of having fun in skydiving, rock climbing play and other adventurous activities. Twain is ready for a comeback, and "Today Is Your Day" will surely appeal to anyone going through a tough time.

Taylor Swift Debuts "The Story of Us" Video

Country queen Taylor Swift heads to the Ivy League in her brand new "The Story of Us" video premiered Tuesday night on MTV, just before participating in a live chat with her fans. The song was the last song from her latest album, "Speak Now." Swift composed the track regarding the time when she encountered an ex at the awards-show. "I just felt so empty, like we were both fighting this silent war of pretending we didn't care that the other was there. And I went home, and I wrote this song about it. And at that point, I had this gut feeling, and I knew the album was finished."
The Noble Jones-directed video in which Swift reminisces about a college relationship. it begins as Swift opens 'The Story of Us' book to Chapter 1 and starts in on a tale about love lost. In the first few takes, a geeky, nerd-chic Swift and her love interest are wrapped in each other's every move, totally lusting in the Vanderbilt library. But as relationships often do, theirs quickly goes downhill. A very distressed Swift sings about the pain she feels as the pair tries to pretend not to notice each other in the same crowded study room, while she tugs at her hair and screams out the lyrics to her life among the books. The broken couple's fellow students have no idea that a life story is unfolding around them. While it depicts a love story, as many of Swift's song/video combos do, "The Story of Us" video sets a more somber mood with a mature Swift and less bright colors.
After the premiere of her "The Story of Us" video, the 21-year-old country/pop superstar opened up to MTV News about her creative process behind writing the tune, and how it felt to watch the video and relive the emotions behind the "Speak Now" song, which was inspired by a seriously awkward awards-show encounter with an ex. "Anytime I'm onstage or watching the music video, the first thing that comes into my mind is the person I wrote the song about," she said. "It's like the first thing that you think of is the moment that inspired the song, which is that excruciating, awful moment when you run into an ex for the first time."
Since the very beginning of her career, Swift has always played the ingenue; she is eternally innocent, endearingly wholesome, even when she has been epically wronged. And so, not surprisingly, her music videos have largely reflected that: Swift as the chaste, credulous creature forced to come to terms with those who have hurt her, usually heartbreakingly so. But Swift has also grown as an artist and her recent videos have mirrored that maturation. And her new video "The Story of Us," continues the themes of both her early days and her more recent work. It is, of course, a love story, but there's a complexity to it too. It's her Music Video Evolution, a voyage that's taken her from wide-eyed country girl to equally wide-eyed international sensation and, fittingly, back again. She is, of course, always the ingenue.

Taylor Swift Braves The Bullies In "Mean" Video

Taylor Swift just released her brand new music video for her up-beat song "Mean." The song contains heavy elements of fiddles and banjos, with critics saying that it was the most country song on her latest third album,"Speak Now." Although "Mean," brilliantly calls out someone who cruelly points out her flaws, the Grammy-winning superstar wrote the song to get back at her critics: "Some days I'm fine and I can just brush it off and go about my day, but some days it absolutely levels me. All I can do is continue to try to work hard every single day and feel everything. I think it's important to feel things because I then write songs about that."
"The whole idea of being criticized and the fact that that entered my life made for a song that I'm very proud of on the record called 'Mean,'" Swift continues. "There's always going to be someone who's just mean to you. Dealing with that is all you can control about that situation, how you handle it. 'Mean' is about how I handle it, and sort of my mind set about this whole situation." This twangy track finds the young country songstress taking aim at her critics, and in the video, we find Swift in all her glory as a damsel in distress.
Declan Whitebloom directed, while Swift herself drew up the concept, the new video was shot over two days in Los Angeles, with the Orpheum Theatre serving as its backdrop. It opens with Swift and her band in the theater. She plays the banjo, and they're all dressed in vintage-inspired clothes and the stage is set up like a front yard of a farmhouse. The video cuts to a boy reading a fashion magazine in a locker room being bullied by the football team, and is then back on that stage, where Swift is dressed in a little white '20s-style dress and is being tied to the tracks by an old-timey villain.
But Swift and the others are hardly the only victims in the clip. Viewers are back in modern time, where a girl, wearing a fast-food uniform, is being made fun of by her peers. Another girl is being teased in school and can't sit with "the cool girls" at lunch and is forced to eat in the school bathroom. All the while, Swift is plucking away at her banjo. Her words are empowering the young people affected by their bullies. The 21-year-old's new video for "Mean" is the latest entry in an avalanche of empowering clips, which we've seen from artists like Katy Perry ("Firework") and Pink ("Raise Your Glass").

Randy Montana Lists "1,000 Faces" Of Love

I had never heard of Randy Montana until I saw this music video which premiered a few days ago. This country/rock singer has a smooth vocal that makes this song a great listen. This talented young country newcomer who broke through the Top 40 last fall with his debut earworm single "Ain't Much Left of Lovin' You" and he has now returned with his sweetly crafted sophomore effort "1,000 Faces," which we think will be a huge breakthrough for him. Last month, Mercury Nashville artist was in downtown Nashville to shoot the video for his new single. The video, directed by Robert Deaton and George Flanigen, utilized over 60 extras to convert the closed city streets into just another busy day in downtown Music City with the exception of Montana and his band playing in the street.
Produced by Jay Joyce, "1,000 Faces" is the title and second single from his new 3-song EP. Unlike the modern heartbreak of his previous single, "1,000 Faces" is more in the vein of love songs, albeit not the stereotypical lovey-dovey type, and it showcase a powerhouse of an artist in the making. Featuring a lyric that seemingly strings together descriptions of girls in list song fashion but upon further listening, "1,000 Faces" is an ethereal experience of epic proportions. It also feels like a big ole smash hit. The song is a soft love ballad, spouting off listed couplets in easy rhythms. The lists comprise the thousand faces of love, and Montana discards them all, proclaiming: "I dreamed of you, before I ever knew you." The infectious verses seem effortless, and Montana's soft-spoken vocals remind of the uncrafted skill of a Jonathan Singleton.
Montana melts the heart of his dream girl with his new video for the song "1,000 Faces." The video features Montana at an intersection playing with his band while many people and "faces" pass by. "I can't wait for everyone to see this video," says Montana. "Working with Robert and George was awesome. I had a great time talking with the extras and all the people that just walked up to see what all the noise was and why the street was blocked off. There was also a hammered drunk homeless man named Memphis that walked up in the middle of the shoot. He looked at me and said, 'If y'all let me dance, I'll make you more money.' I think he thought we were playing for tips."
Montana got a front row seat to the challenges of the business growing up, since his dad had an artist deal himself back in the late '80s. He comes from country music stock, and well accomplished country stock at that. his boundary-free music captures the yearning of restless young men who are in a hurry to take life as far as they can, men who are sometimes too caught up in the moments of passion to have thoughts of regret. His raspy voice, which sounds older than his years, tells of temptation and consequences while painting musical portraits of wheels turning, fires burning and women scribbling phone numbers on matchbooks. The raspy-voiced Montana, a standout among his 'I'm more country than you' peers, breaks the genre's mold but respects its heritage.

Taylor Swift explains apology 'Back to December'

Bring on the snow machine and the forlorn looks sent out of frosty windows. Taylor Swift is quietly rolling out her pensive "Back to December" new video Thursday morning for her heartbreaking apology song "Back to December," which tells the story of two lovelorn teens on a wintry day and has graced us with its presence. She takes the "December" mention seriously, as snowflakes fall from inside her home. Though she hasn't said who the song is about, but it certainly sheds light on the level of regret she has for pushing him away, and did admit to being careless in the relationship. The promo projects a mood of darkness, regret and melancholy.
The track, is considered an orchestral country pop ballad and its expressive lyrics are a remorseful plea for forgiveness for breaking up with a former lover, was written solely by Swift as the second single off her latest chart-topping third album, "Speak Now." Swift has elaborated on the painful feelings that went into her new song, "Back to December" is the first time she ever apologizes to someone in a song, something that she never did before. She admitted the song is dedicated to an actual person to whom she had done wrong: "It addresses a first for me in that I've never apologized in song. The person I wrote this song about deserves this. This is about a person who was incredible to me, just perfect to me in a relationship, and I was really careless with him."
In this dreamy and emotional video, the 21-year-old country princess trades glamor for a seemingly makeup-free, casual look that enhances the sheer honesty of the tune. The video shows the pop star singing about her lost love with a mood of melancholy and regret: Swift in tank top and a ribbed cardigan made of sad, wandering the rooms of a sparely furnished house and mourning the love she let go, her misery manifesting as indoor snowflakes of the mind. The singer belts out the lyrics as her lost love walks a wintry landscape. "This is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you, saying I'm sorry for that night. I go back to December all the time," she sings.
The beautifully wintry and romantic video was directed by Yoann Lemoine, who did Katy Perry's equally dreamy, equally girly clip for "Teenage Dream." The new clip joins her pantheon of modern classics, as while it skimps a bit on narrative, it makes up for it with an almost haunting visual sense. MTV described the video as a bummer, writing it "isn't just about a girl with her calendar permanently stuck on the twelfth month of the year. It's not just about feeling like a Lady Antebellum song. It's about getting stuck in a place of romantic regret." Meanwhile, the video ends with Swift in her snowy home while the ex-boyfriend finds her breakup letter in his coat pocket as he sits alone in the bleachers. Watch it below!

Sons of Sylvia Premiere Video For "I'll Know You"

Sons of Sylvia recently caused a a huge buzz after their American Idol performance, as a pop/country crossover sensation. Between releasing their debut album "Revelation" this summer and spending the last eight months on the road with Carrie Underwood, They found time to film a new music video for the song "I'll Know You," the band's second single. After guesting on "What Can I Say" from Underwood's third album, "Play On," "she kind of took us in like stray puppies," band says with a laugh. If you were lucky enough to see Underwood in concert this year, then you were also lucky enough to see Sons Of Sylvia in concert since they've been on tour with her this year.
Originally from the small town of Rocky Mount, VA, Sons Of Sylvia is an American pop/country music trio composed of three brothers with the surname Clark: Adam (guitar, mandolin), Ashley (lead vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Austin (background vocals, resonator guitar). All three, along with their three other brothers Aaron, Andrew, and Alan, originally comprised a sextet called The Clark Family Experience. Their unique sound is a blend of their upbringing – and in any Sons Of Sylvia song you'll hear country, rock, bluegrass and gospel.
Sons Of Sylvia are hoping that "I'll Know You" will build on the showing of their hit track "Love Left to Lose," which made its way into the Adult Top 40 chart. Ashley says "The song is beautiful. It's a very strong love ballad, and it's really about that hope and that dream of finding your true love and never giving up hope and knowing she's out there - or he's out there - somewhere. It's a common them of you can't give up and eventually you will find that person. And when we do it live it comes across well. It's so passionate and so moving."
The song wasn't written in a hour. "We all got together and collaborated with [producers] Brian Howes and Catt Gravitt," Austin tells The Boot. "[My brothers Ashley and Adam, and I] had all talked about how we wanted to write something emotional, like finding your true love and never giving up and knowing she is out there. Every song is different but this one didn't take long either. We all got together in the studio in Vancouver, Canada, and wrote it. Then we walked into the next room and recorded it." Asked who had the idea for the song, Ashley hesitantly replies, "Well, I don't want to take credit for it, but ... [laughs]." Apparently, the tune's subject matter also reflects the current romantic situation in which Ashley finds himself. Asked if he's currently searching for love, he responds, "Always," with another laugh.
Sons Of Sylvia frontman Ashley describes the band's experience thus far as "surreal" and a "crazy road." Their debut album, "Revelation," has only been out since April and is just the beginning of a newly-charted course for Sons Of Sylvia, but will no doubt lead to success. The sibling trio is already chomping at the bit to start working on a sophomore set. "We have always wanted to make a record that comes from our heart. We want to inspire people with our music. We want to send a message of hope." For now, the band is finishing their run on Underwood's "Play On" tour through the end of the year.