Beginning with a light acoustic strum, the new single from Kaeley Jade grows steadily and subtly into a heartfelt song that confronts feelings of powerlessness that many readers will be able to associate with. ‘The Ceiling’ was co-written with Jade’s friend, Edmonton-based singer-songwriter Amanda Penner, with whom she discussed global uncertainty and unrest and the feeling of being powerless to influence events. Jade explains, “I had been holding onto the seed of a song about the days when you wake up in a haze, struggling to connect with the world around you, when everything just feels utterly wrong—almost like waking up on the ceiling. That idea grew into what became this song.” JUNO-winning producer and musician Hill Kourkoutis produced and mixed the song, recording each member of Jade’s band separately due to tight scheduling. Jade recalls: “Everyone brought a special energy into the room, so it felt a bit like working with a revolving door of friends.” Jade’s vocal melody is memorable and compelling, delivering an urgent and evocative message through beautiful music.
Directed and edited by Dale Bailey, the haunting video turns everything, quite literally, on its head. It’s an inventive visual concept that presented all sorts of filmmaking challenges, especially when put together on a limited budget. However, Bailey and Jade have fully realised what they imagined in an artful video that reinforces the mood, doubts and uncertainty of the song and its lyrical purpose.
Jade says of the video: “When creating my music videos, I am always interested in pursuing concepts that will push my limits as an artist, and ‘The Ceiling’ was no different. Not only did we need to design a set that evoked bedroom-meets-purgatory, but we also needed to create the whole thing to work upside down, so that was its own special challenge, especially when working on a limited budget. There were a few key set pieces (like the upside-down window, the bed, and the ceiling tiles with light fixtures) that brought the whole look together, and when I first took a peek at the footage, I was so excited to find it actually was hard to tell which way was up.”
Bailey adds: “I have always been afraid that one day someone would ask me to make an upside-down room video, as the logistics of making it actually feel upside-down had always seemed so complicated. Some people build giant spinning rooms, and some use the free-falling effect inside of a stalled plane. After hearing the song and hearing some of Kaeley’s ideas, it just made sense that we had to find our own way to do the upside-down room. I’m glad we pushed past my silly fears and instead made something quite unique, and also something quite effective at providing that feeling of not knowing which way might actually be up. It’s good to not get an idea of something too stuck in your head before you give it a go!”
Jade’s debut album, “Turpentine”, received a number of accolades, including a Canadian Folk Music Award, Western Canadian Music Award Nomination and Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Award, while her songs have featured in films and television shows, such as ‘Teen Mom: The Next Chapter’, ‘Warrior Up!’ and ‘Hockey Night in Canada’. Jade’s artistic endeavours extend to theatre, film, and visual arts, and that creativity is evident in this excellent video. Enjoy.
