The bottom line of this soulful ballad from newcomer Rayne Johnson is that women are worthy. As in, you belong on the right side of the right guy.
To celebrate Johnson’s new video for “Front Seat,” CMT.com had the chance to ask him about the shoot and the song he co-wrote with Joe Jordan.
CMT.com: What do you remember most about the day/night you shot this video?
Johnson: What I remember most was once I left hair and makeup to head to the first take, walking onto the Murphy Theatre stage with cameras up and stage set: it was beautiful. And I knew then that everything had come together and these guys were going to crush it.
How does the video bring your song to life?
When you sit down with the producers and crew to lay out the storyboard, you think you already know what’s coming. In my experience, though, that’s never the case. Once you get to the actual shoot and you actually put faces and personalities with the cast, you realize, “Wow. This could be something special.” Once it starts coming alive and you see moments in these beautiful, planned out locations, it’s very exciting.
What message do you hope your fans take away from the video?
“Front Seat” was written to encourage women — no matter what age or background — to look into themselves and recognize their true worth. Also for guys to check themselves and say, “I wanna be the good guy.” It’s impossible to fit the hundred of things women go through so we landed on “less than mediocre relationship” to tell the story. To me, the video paints the picture perfectly. Making men and women both pause for a moment and think about themselves. I know it did for me. I’m pretty romantic, but even I watched the video back and was encouraged to be a better husband.
And now I hope that this video can make folks think for a moment about their own relationships. I know for me when I have a moment where something makes me stop and think, I usually don’t just stop at that thought: I usually continue on with thoughts and think about other areas of my life and try to apply it in a broader sense. So I hope that that’s what “Front Seat” does for those get who to see it.
How did it feel to see the finished product for the first time?
I watched it with my parents, and my mom said, “Oh son, look how handsome you look in that suit jacket!” I wasn’t surprised that’s the first thing she noticed. I can’t remember the last time she’s seen me in a somewhat dressed-up sense. I felt like we did the song justice and that’s not always easy to do with a song like this!
On Instagram, Johnson also shared a short behind-the-scenes video to give fans a feel for the vibe of the shoot.