Christian Lopez is taking a local landmark and making it a perfect backdrop for his newest music video, “Who You Really Are.” Even better, he’s getting his hometown fans in on the action — you’ll notice them slowly populating the theatre as the camera spins around his live performance.
A West Virginia native who’s already made inroads in Americana and roots music, Lopez continues to explore his vast musical influences while staying true to his singer-songwriter roots. He’s no slouch as a guitarist either, as evidenced here. Take a look at “Who You Really Are,” then read our interview with Christian Lopez below the player.
What do you remember most about the shoot for this video?
We were given access to the theatre, which is my hometown theatre in Martinsburg, West Virginia (The Apollo), for just one day. We ended up shooting all day and into the night till around 2 a.m. All the extras in the video are hometown fans that stayed up with us and remained energetic the whole time. It was an amazing memory!
How does the video bring your song to life?
I wanted to highlight the fact that regardless of where I am in my career, it’s just me and my guitar at the end of the day. As the camera pans around me constantly, giving glimpses of my vantage point, I try to show how living my truth has led to those seats being filled one by one. Still, I’m nowhere close to where I want to be, but I’m happy with where I am at the moment. And I’m not stopping anytime soon.
What message do you hope your fans take away from the video?
The video symbolizes the fact that we come into this world alone and leave the same way. It’s our duty to ourselves to live our truth while we’re here. And if we do, we will move others, and they will gather. But like the end of the video, that’s not the reason we do it. We do it because it’s our purpose and to give something to the world. Its message is to encourage every listener to follow their heart, whatever it may be.
How did it feel to see the finished product for the first time?
Luckily since the video is so simple, I could hop behind the camera as we were shooting to see how the playback looked. I was amazed every time. For this video it was all about the prep and very little about the post-editing. We spent hours making that theatre look perfect, down to the tiniest of details. The audience hid behind their seats and, as the camera circled around me, the director had them pop up one by one and fill the seats, making our effect happen in real time. It was a wonderful group effort. I couldn’t have been happier when I saw the final product.
Songwriters: Christian Lopez and Jordan Lawhead; Director: Steve Jawn via:: CMT News
