Kate Ellis’ Unique New Music Video #IBelieve - A Digital Art Experiment

KATE ELLIS’ UNIQUE NEW MUSIC VIDEO #IBELIEVE - 

A DIGITAL ART EXPERIMENT CONNECTING MUSIC

WITH PEOPLE’S EMOTIONS ACROSS THE WORLD

A new way for music to tap into the heartbeat of human feelings, the innovative new video premiered on The Boot April 20th, with a first-of-its-kind, fully connected version available on her own site on the same day

I Believe by Kate Ellis on VEVO.


Following a year that saw the release of her debut album CARVE ME OUT to critical acclaim; hundreds of thousands of fans streaming her songs and videos worldwide; and an introduction to the UK’s live circuit culminating in a packed vinyl launch headline show in London; Kate Ellis started 2018 off by announcing shows with fellow rising Americana stars Robert Vincent and William the Conqueror, and the release of her most recent single ‘I Believe’. Listen here.

Set to build on this early success, today she has confirmed the song’s accompanying music video revealed on Friday 20th April 2018, with a twist. Following an initial premiere of the broadcast edit of ‘I Believe’ on major US country music site The Boot, the fully connected version of the video is available on Ellis’ official site, linking the song with what other people believe around the world by feeding live tweets that feature the words “I Believe” (or the hashtag #IBelieve) into the video in real-time. The video will change every time it is watched.

Describing her inspiration, Kate said: “This song is about those times when you don't believe in yourself but luckily someone else does. I love how the video brings together people’s beliefs from all over the world that would never normally be seen in the same place. They give the song a kind of global, three dimensional resonance it otherwise wouldn’t have.”

She added: “Even though ‘I Believe’ is a personal story about the connection between two people, the sentiment of belief is so universal that no matter where in the world these tweets are coming from, they seem to fit the context of the song. There’s so much commonality between the things we feel strongly about and the things that matter to us. I think that’s very comforting to see. Deep down we are all the same and we care about and feel the same things.”

Creative Director for the video and partner at Pentagram design studio Naresh Ramchandani commented: “‘I Believe’ by Kate Ellis is a moving song about one person’s faith in another. It’s not always easy to state our hopes and faiths. We're often reluctant to give them words or a stage, for fear that it leaves us open to being hurt, or being criticised, or both. That’s what the song is about for me - the vulnerability and bravery of giving voice to what or who you believe in. And that’s also what the video’s about - a digital art experiment that allows anyone in the world to be part of the video by by giving voice to what they believe in too.”

Catch Kate Ellis live across the UK on the following dates:

Fri May 4th 2018 – Sofar Sounds, London
Sat 9 June 2018 – Noshville (Presented by Maverick Festival), London
Weds 27 June 2018 – Nashville Meets London Presents, London (w/American Young)
Fri 6 July 2018 – Maverick, Easton Farm Park, AMA UK Stage (Easton Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 0EQ)
Fri 20 July 2018 – Town Hall Live, Kirton In Lindsey (Town Hall Market Square, Kirton in Lindsey North Lincolnshire DN21 4LZ) with Hannah Aldridge

ABOUT THE #IBELIEVE VIDEO:
The interactive version of the video with live Twitter integration was built by Solder Creative. The Creative Director was Naresh Ramchandani from Pentagram design studio, with Jeff Baynes on board as Director of Photography for the performance footage, with Dave Watts as Director of Photography for portrait footage. The video was edited by Luke LeBihan and produced by Andy Hobsbawm.

CONNECT with Kate Ellis:

Kate Ellis releases new single ‘I Believe’ with Acoustic B-Side; announces Spring Tour Dates

New single 'I Believe' out Friday 23rd February with a brand new acoustic version.

Amazon UK - UK iTunes

With her debut album CARVE ME OUT (2 June 2017; Amazon UK - UK iTunes) declared a highlight on ‘Best of 2017’ lists across multiple music blogs and radio shows (Your Life in a Song; Laurel Canyon Music; Mike Ritchie on Celtic Music Radio among others) and hundreds of thousands of fans streaming her songs and videos across the world; one of London’s most exciting independent acts Kate Ellis has announced her next single will be the fan-favourite ‘I Believe’, along with a run of tour dates from February - April.

Out to stream/download (Amazon UK - UK iTunes) on 23rd February 2018, the new single will include a previously un-released acoustic version featuring Jonathan Colombo on lap steel, recorded between London and Barcelona, offering a simpler, more exposed take on this personal, hopeful song. In her own words: 
“This song is about those times when you don't believe in yourself but luckily someone else does! It's about the optimism and belief that can cut through feelings of despair and shine light on the darkest places. I think the idea that someone’s spirit can rise above the doubt that another person might have is something very real and, hopefully, an uplifting truth that people can emotionally connect with.”

Fresh from a London show supporting William The Conqueror, Kate and her band now take to the road for the following dates:

Kate Ellis Live Dates

9 Feb – 81 Renshaw, Liverpool (w/ Robert Vincent)
Saturday 3 March 2018 – Dancing Dog, Sittingbourne (Sheppey Way, Bobbing, Kent ME9 8QP) £11 Event support The Swindells Sisters
Monday 19 March 2018 – The Bedford, London (77 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9HD) with Mychelle, Darragh Chaplin, New Age Thrills
Sat 24 March 2018 – Village Hall, Alstonfield (Beresford Lane, Alstonefield, Staffs DE6 2FR) (w/ Robinson & Roe) £12.10 Event
29 & 31 March 2018  – Sofar Sounds, London
Weds 4 April 2018 – Gullivers, Manchester (109 Oldham Street M4 1LW) + guests £8 Event

Kate Ellis - Live

ABOUT KATE ELLIS:

"Wryly reflective, sweetly melodic, touchingly compassionate, warm-hearted." - MAVERICK MAGAZINE (****)
"Hits you in the heart. One of those artists that on first listen, you know you’re going to love.” - TALK RADIO
“A gorgeous album with soul, heart, passion...back-to-back wonderful, unbelievably beautiful.”- FATEA MAGAZINE
"Quite simply a superb debut album and one that announces the arrival of a genuine talent." AMERICANA UK (8/10)

Kate Ellis is an Americana singer-songwriter, who was born in Louisiana, grew up in New York and is now based in London, England. Having performed in festivals and concerts across the USA, UK and Europe, the timeless sound of her music reflects her love of classic singer-songwriters from Gram Parsons and Gillian Welch, to Mary Chapin Carpenter, Leonard Cohen and Nanci Griffith.

Kate’s southern country-folk roots come from her father, an important early musical influence who once played guitar with Hank Williams on the famous Louisiana Hayride, where Elvis and Johnny Cash started out. These influences were explored recently in a ten-episode series of online videos called ‘My Dad’s Records’, in which Kate shared a personal perspective on ten of her father’s albums, from Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie to Josh White and Bob Dylan, that most shaped the music she loves and writes. The process of making those videos - which have now been viewed over 35,000 times online and shared widely on social media - was partly the inspiration for the release of her own album on vinyl.

Kate’s emotional and seductive vocals take you into a world of private beauty, reflection and feelings; the music is always intimate and evocative – you listen and want to be there. A journalist for the Observer described “hauntingly beautiful songs”, while BBC Radio Merseyside country DJ Mike Shepherd said “she clearly has a huge future ahead of her”, with No Depression describing her debut album ‘Carve Me Out’ as “an album of great warmth and feeling that just makes you press repeat. Definitely worthy of recognition.”

The critically acclaimed debut was released independently through River Rose Records in June; tracks from the set have now been streamed over 150,000 times by fans all over the world, and with Kate increasingly being seen as a key part of the UK’s vibrant live Americana circuit, this story is just beginning.
Related Blog Post (Sept 4, 2017): Kate Ellis announces vinyl album release with UK Tour Dates; releases new video

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Kate Ellis announces vinyl album release with UK Tour Dates; releases new video

KATE ELLIS ANNOUNCES VINYL ALBUM RELEASE WITH UK TOUR DATES; RELEASES NEW VIDEO

The acclaimed debut ‘Carve Me Out’ will be released on vinyl September 27th

LONDON, UK: Following the successful release of her 10-track debut full-length ‘CARVE ME OUT’ (2 June 2017; Amazon UK - UK iTunes), singer/songwriter Kate Ellis has shared the video for her current single ‘Night Before The Dawn’, and confirmed the album will be released on limited edition, hand-numbered vinyl LP on 27th September 2017, due to popular demand.

Since its initial release in June, songs from the album have been streamed over 100,000 times and played on country and Americana radio shows across the UK, with Kate performing at gigs and festivals including a ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris hosted/curated ‘Under The Apple Tree’ event in Harrogate and an in-store at Union Music, a favourite among Americana fans. 

""Wryly reflective, sweetly melodic, touchingly compassionate, warm-hearted."  MAVERICK

"Haunting and beautiful... think Nanci Griffith with a modern twist." – LYRIC MAGAZINE

Described as “a beautiful ballad laden with sorrow” by No Depression and featured in Fatea Magazine’s latest Showcase Sessions compilation, ‘Night Before The Dawn’ is a sparse and haunting  acoustic ballad, with Kate’s emotional and seductive vocals taking listeners into a world of private beauty, reflection and feelings. 

In her own words: “This song came from a sense that there are moments in the dead of night when you feel things so deeply, you are connected to your feelings so strongly, you can feel more alive than you do in the course of your everyday life. I suppose it is because you’re in a state of being intensely connected to who you are, to the deepest part of yourself. It was this emotional place that I wanted to try and capture.”

The video was directed and edited by Yorgo Lykouria, who was behind the videos for Kate's first two singles from the album. He commented: "Kate's song is about being connected to your deepest emotions, so I wanted to combine simple, beguiling performance footage with the mystery of searching by lantern-light for, as the song lyric puts it: the beauty in the darkest night."

CLICK to ENLARGE POSTER

Kate Ellis has announced a run of tour dates throughout September/October to support the vinyl release, including headlining a one-off launch show at The Islington on 27th September, with support from Lisa Wright and Ben Smith & Jimmy Brewer. 
Tickets available for all dates now:
Saturday September 9, 2017 - Woodfest, Bishops Stortford (main stage, 7pm)
Thurs September 14, 2017 - Sofar Sounds, London
Saturday September 16, 2017 - Town Hall Live, Kirton in Lindsey (w/The Black Feathers)
Wednesday September 27, 2017 - The Islington, London (vinyl launch, headline show)
Saturday October 8, 2017 - Depot, Lewes (a Union Music Store show)
Friday October 13, 2017 - Lancaster Music Festival, Lancaster
More info & tickets from www.kateellis.com

Related BLOG Post: New music from Kate Ellis - 'Ones You Love The Most'

New music from Kate Ellis - 'Ones You Love The Most'

London-based, American-born singer/songwriter Kate Ellis released her debut single ‘Ones You Love The Most’ on February 10th 2017.

You can listen to the track on Soundcloud or here:

Release Date: 10 Feb 2017

Label: River Rose Records

Time: 3:55
Genre: Americana

Available for purchase: Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Spotify

The song has received airplay on Chris Country Radio (11 Feb: Baylen Leonard’s The Front Porch show) and Lee Williams (CEO and owner of CMR Nashville, and President of the British Country Music Awards) played it on his Friday Feb 17^th show broadcast on CMR Nashville "Europe's #1 Country Music Radio Station".

In her own words: “It tells stories (Short Cuts-style) of a cast of characters, from different backgrounds and circumstances, all living out this same heart-breaking reality in their lives, in different ways and with different consequences. The choruses were inspired by someone I knew who left her children, believing it was the best thing for everyone. In the first chorus, I had an image in my mind of the children being left behind by a mother who believes wholeheartedly that she is doing the right thing, but can’t see the awful reality of the pain she’s leaving behind for others to endure.” Referencing the sound of the song, she said: “The recording has that train rolling down the tracks feel of some Johnny Cash songs, and echoes of a New Orleans-style marching band.”

ABOUT KATE ELLIS:

Kate Ellis is an Americana singer-songwriter, who was born in Louisiana, grew up in New York and is now based in London, England. Having performed in festivals and concerts across the USA, London and Paris, the timeless sound of her music reflects her love of classic singer-songwriters from Gram Parsons and Gillian Welch, to Mary Chapin Carpenter, Leonard Cohen and Nanci Griffith.

Kate’s southern country-folk roots come from her father, an important early musical influence who once played guitar with Hank Williams on the famous Louisiana Hayride, where Elvis and Johnny Cash started out.

The story of her upbringing provides an interesting background to her musical journey - as well as being a musician, her father worked as a high-profile ‘Mad Men’-era Madison Avenue advertising executive, and her mother was a New York socialite during the sixties and seventies. Although Kate had a natural talent for classical piano and art in her early years, she found herself following a different path before pursuing music, attending law school and eventually becoming a lawyer.

Kate’s emotional and seductive vocals take you into a world of private beauty, reflection and feelings. The music is always intimate and evocative – you listen and want to be there.

A journalist for the Observer commented: "Kate Ellis writes hauntingly beautiful songs and has an amazing voice, I'm a fan!" While TheMediaEye.com said: "Kate’s contemporary country-folk classic sound, and a voice best described as a cross between Emmylou Harris and Suzanne Vega, make her debut album eagerly anticipated."

Her debut single ‘Ones You Love The Most’ released on 10th February 2017, and Kate will be playing live throughout the year.

Great to see @kateellismusic on @SpotifyUK's Your Coffee Break playlist: https://t.co/lJbHVUNB5J

— Lime Tree Music (UK) (@limetreemusicpr) 18 February 2017

What can you expect from her live shows?

The ‘acoustic’ line-up is myself on acoustic guitar, my husband on a second acoustic playing more lead lines with backing vocals, plus some slide guitar and harmonica, and a fiddle player who also picks up a melodica every now and then.  Sometimes for bigger venues, we have upright bass and drums as well. Regardless I try to create intimacy that allows the audience to really connect with the music because that’s what I like when I go to a show…Read more in this Interview BLOG feature

Dates so far announced:

SUN February 26, 2017 - Mondegreen Folk Club, Ryan's N16, London (181 Stoke Newington Church St, Stoke Newington, N16 0UL)

Tues March 7, 2017 - The Lucky Pig Cocktail Bar, London (4 Clipstone Street, W1W 6BB) Stephanie Jane Oliver, Bill Kacir, Kate Ellis + Support FREE Event

Sun June 4, 2017 - "Softly Softly" @ Kiss The Sky Bar, Park Road, London (18-20 Park Rd, Crouch End N8 8TD)

Bands In Town - Kate Ellis

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