Zealyn Resists a Surreptitious Charm With Style in "So Damn Charming" Video [PREMIERE]
You may know her as Angie Miller, runner up on American Idol circa Season 12, but today Ms. Miller has shed her skin and taken flight with rightful artist persona Zealyn. Zealyn encapsulates many attributes. Whether it be her flawless vocals and beautiful melodic songwriting, or maybe that glisteningly amiable personality and her uncanny ability to connect with her fanbase in deeply personal ways, there's no denying that if Zealyn understands one thing, it’s charm.
Hence her most recent single "So Damn Charming" (July 26) is a fitting subject matter for Zealyn to tackle. Analyzing a specific charisma unique to the entertainment industry by understanding the detriments of it, "So Damn Charming" is likely reflective of her own life as a rising artist.
The work of a creative in this field often feels like a hamster wheel, endless effort and persistence required on a road to seemingly nowhere. Opening line "Slow down, oh / I've been running faster than I'm proud of / Quick now / I don't want to fall behind the it crowd," captures the suffocating urgency of pop artistry in today's culture of chasing trends and staying "relevant." In the chorus Zealyn muses "Silver isn't over my head, darling / I don't want to loose myself entirely / Even though it all seems so damn charming," she recognizes the pull of glitz and glamor while fearing losing her soul in the process. Zealyn has chosen to resist this quisling charm and she certainly resists in style.
Cue the release of the "So Damn Charming" visual companion (Aug. 13), directed by Brent Campanelli, the video hosts a series of vignettes featuring fluid, modern choreography and playing heavily with natural and artificial lighting. The video kicks off with Zealyn featured on an empty stage, illuminated by a set of car headlights. This transitions into Zealyn serenading the camera, adorned in a series of drop dead gorgeous lewks. As the music builds and flowers, Zealyn's movement mirrors this progression, gyrating with the swells of production and heavy hits of percussion. In her own words,
“I feel like as musicians and creatives we spend a lot of our time always thinking about what the next move is and wanting what we don’t have. Regardless of whether it’s a good thing or not. The world we live in can make anything seem ‘so damn charming’ from a distance, even though most of the time it’s far from it. That is what I wanted to show in the music video. Everything looks beautiful and well put together, but on the inside I am broken and so full of pain and doubt.”
Take an exclusive day before look-see at the music video below:
