Vee Hua 華婷婷
Can you talk a bit about how the initial music video concept came about?
Tony Lowe (Director):
I’ve been lucky enough to work with the amazing Chez Deep crew, of which Bailey is a part, for a little while now. They serve some of the most empowered (and therefore sexy) performances I’ve ever witnessed. It was initially inspired by an amazing performance I saw Bailey do at the Ace Hotel here in NYC, where one part was basically a reverse striptease.
The set is amazing and definitely plays a huge role in the success of the final product. What was the process of creating it like, and what are your favorite elements of it?
Tony Lowe (Director):
Thanks! The art director, Emma Rose Mead, Bailey and I wanted something really personal and pretty, but also strange. Bailey was amazed; she said the room was an uncanny conglomeration of things she’d had in her own bedrooms throughout her life — the beads, the Tweety bird. I looked at a lot of webcam sex rooms — these intimate but odd cubicles in Russia or who knows where — for inspiration. My favorite element is the giant purple stuffed thing, which Bailey brought from a friend’s house the day of the shoot.
The video is all a single take, correct? This being said, what is the degree to which each action was choreographed versus spontaneous?
Tony Lowe (Director):
It ended up being a kind of dance between Bailey and a 13-foot crane with our DP Andrei Bowden-Schwartz on the other end. We’d figured out the general blocking prior to shooting, but the details are all Bailey’s, and each take was unique. Picking the final take was tough.
In a couple stream-of-consciousness sentences, how would you describe the thoughts going through the head of the character in the video?
Bailey Stiles (Actress):
My thoughts going into this video was to be real and open with the idea that the world is watching! I wanted to be myself and as in my mind/body as possible, and not overthink it. And contemplate about how the love I have for myself is something others can see and love me, too!
How has the feedback been with regards to the music video? Have you seen any, or do you anticipate any, interesting dialogue pop up about sexuality because of it?
Bailey Stiles (Actress):
I mean sex sells, and I am [a] sexy being.
Tony Lowe (Director):
I really hope so! Part of why I work with Bailey and Chez Deep is because I feel they are pushing notions of identity in really experimental and inspiring ways.
Were there any particular challenges or surprises that you’d like to speak of?
Bailey Stiles (Actress):
It was really a very beautiful challenge for me to overcome just working as a central focus for a video and knowing my actions and ideas would dictate the content. Other than that, while filming, I was just keeping in mind what my Mammaw would always tell me: “Suck It In, Smile, and Be Yourself!”
Tony Lowe (Director):
It was a big surprise to include Nori, my studio-mate’s dog, in the video… she just happened to be there and kept walking on set. It was so perfect, especially because she and Bailey had very similar curls at the time.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Bailey Stiles (Actress):
Love yourself with the most love you can and give yourself the right amount of ME time! Love, Bear Barbie XXXO
Shy Girls 2014 Spring Tour Dates
w/ Haim
04/09/14 Wed – San Francisco CA @ The Fillmore
04/10/14 Thu – San Francisco CA @ The Fillmore
04/16/14 Wed – Pomona CA @ Fox Theatre
04/22/14 Tue – Houston TX @ House of Blues
04/23/14 Wed – Austin TX @ Stubbs
04/24/14 Thu – Dallas TX @ House of Blues
04/26/14 Sat – Tulsa OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
04/27/14 Sun – Nashville TN @ Cannery Ballroom
04/29/14 Tue – Miami FL @ The Fillmore
05/02/14 Fri – Atlanta GA @ Tabernacle
05/06/14 Tue – Carrboro NC @ Cat’s Cradle
05/07/14 Wed – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
05/08/14 Thu – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
05/10/14 Sat – New York NY @ Terminal 5
More tour dates to come!
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Jake Renn
Navi Esparza