CMT Artist Discovery’s latest additions — Sarah Ames, Dylan Brady, and Temecula Road — are the kinds of artists we love to spotlight. Just one look at these videos and you’ll understand why we’re obsessed.
Sarah Ames
“Stoned”
“Don’t be so quick to judge!” That’s the message Sarah Ames hopes to impart in her newest video, “Stoned.”
The California native explains, “This video is exactly what I imagined for this song and incorporates a bunch of colorful characters that go so well with the lyrics. Each character is shown passing judgment, but then we see sides of them that might be seen as ‘imperfect’ or ‘sin-like.’ It’s comical, but also a great representation of the song’s message and hypocrisy in society.”
Ames filmed the video on a hot, humid day, with just a few breaks to chill out. “We sometimes left the A/C running in our cars so we could hop in and cool off for a few minutes in between shots! But other than that, it was a perfect, blue sky day and we couldn’t have ask for better. The cast and crew were so great — so thankful for everyone’s hard work.”
Now living in Nashville, Ames says it feels awesome to share “Stoned” with her fans. “This video is my favorite one yet,” she says. “I love the colors, personality, and storyline. The director Preston Leatherman did a great job and I can’t wait for people to see this!”
Dylan Brady
“Over Us”
If you’ve ever had a hard time getting over somebody, you’ll understand Dylan Brady’s “Over Us”
“I feel like from the song and the video, I just really want to people to realize even if it’s not meant to be, it’s okay to miss that person,” the New York native says. “The biggest piece of the whole video to me is the performance shots straight to the camera. I channeled the exact emotions I felt writing the song and tried to portray it on camera and I believe those emotions carry the video like they carry the song.”
Brady moved to Nashville in 2016 to be part of the songwriting community, and he is now signed to Columbia/Riser as a recording artist.
“Shooting the video felt incredible,” he says. “It was my first major label video so to have a full team that believes and sees my vision there along the way stood out. We could bounce ideas, try new things and use each other to further it all.”
He adds, “It was amazing to see everyone’s hard work come together in a final product. I felt as though I was reliving my own experiences, I could feel myself missing that girl all over again, which was pretty surreal.”
Temecula Road
“Never Knew I Needed You”
The video for Temecula Road’s “Never Knew I Needed You” is fueled by optimism, enthusiasm, and more than a little caffeine.
“The band performance section of the video was definitely something we’ll never forget,” says the trio. “Such a fun dynamic between the guys playing with us. Also, in between takes we were able to talk to the extras in the crowd that were hired to be in the video and get to know them! Some of which are our friends now! And you can’t forget the two dozen coffee runs made throughout the day!”
The California band believes that the video captures the fun elements of love – “especially when you first meet someone and you’re really into it,” they say. “There’s lots of ‘heart racing’ moments between the love interests and super-fun performance shots from us that come together to make this awesome video!”
Indeed, the finished video made an excellent impression. “Seeing the video for the first time was incredible we all were smiling ear to ear! It’s always a little scary getting back the first cut of a music video because you never know what could happen in post-production, but Dustin Haney absolutely crushed it,” they say.
“The big message we want people to get from this video is that love can hit you out of nowhere. So have fun, live life to the fullest, and don’t worry too much cause you never know what might happen!”
