KATIE GREGSON-MACLEOD DEBUTS VIDEO FOR “COMPLEX”
KATIE GREGSON-MACLEOD
DEBUTS VIDEO FOR “COMPLEX”
INSPIRED BY VANESSA CARLTON’S
“A THOUSAND MILES”
NEW VERSION OF BREAKOUT TIKTOK SONG
PRODUCED BY GREG KURSTIN OUT NOW
“an elegiac capturing of the hollow, zombielike experience of loving someone far more
than they can, or will, love you back.” – The New York Times
“A plaintive, heart-tugging ballad about unrequited love, ‘complex’ showcases Gregson-MacLeod’s innate musicality, the descending piano chords underpinning vocals rich with vibrato and longing” – The Sunday Times
“Katie Gregson-MacLeod’s songwriting is as dynamic as it is honest as it
meditates on the pitfalls of complicated love” – NYLON
“there’s a quiet confidence to Katie’s work that eases gently into a realm of its own” – CLASH
“Katie Gregson-MacLeod has already captured listeners hearts with
her vulnerable lyricism and stunning vocal ability” – Notion
“this is perfect, I have not heard many songs capture the transition between youth
and adulthood…the lyrics are just incredible” – Jack Saunders, Radio 1
(Oct 21, 2022) – Today, breakthrough Scottish singer-songwriter Katie Gregson-MacLeod shares the video for “complex” via Columbia Records. Inspired by American singer-songwriter and pianist Vanessa Carlton’s beloved “A Thousand Miles” video, the visual accompanies the Greg Kurstin-produced version of Katie’s breakout song ‘complex (demo)’.
Set in Scotland, the video stars Katie taking her piano on a journey through and around Edinburgh, passing by bikers, bagpipe players, festivities and more as she performs the single, which is currently the BBC Introducing Track of the Week on Radio 1.
Speaking on the video, Katie shares: “The video for ‘complex’ definitely shows a different side to the song and to me. I don’t think the song is entirely earnest, and I wanted the video to reflect that. We were discussing concepts for a wee while but when the idea came up of recreating an iconic music video in a totally different setting, the Vanessa Carlton video was a given. We were definitely keen to see how ridiculous we could get with the Scottish parallels but all the while not having it look like too much of a piss-take or too much like a Visit Scotland ad. After a short couple weeks of planning and the odd ‘I can’t believe we’re actually doing this’, we shot the video in and around Edinburgh. We started off in Holyrood, going around Arthur’s Seat. In fitting form, it was the rainiest and windiest it could have possibly been in the first few hours of the shoot. Nonetheless, strapped into the back of a van and sitting at a grand piano singing my piano ballad, we zoomed around.”
“My favourite part was for sure getting my pals along as extras. We had some of my childhood best friends pull out their acting chops as ‘people on table at pub’ numbers 1-7 and got Hamish Hawk along to perform his supporting role as ‘beer-drinking man engrossed in conversation’. It was my first proper video shoot and although a really crazy day, it was a lot of fun. The team nailed it. I hope Vanessa Carlton enjoys our homage, that’s the main thing. It’s an iconic video and we wanted to honour that.”
Written by Katie and produced by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney, Maggie Rogers), “complex” is a new version of her breakout single ‘complex (demo)’ which adds extra emotional weight to what was already a deeply heartbreaking tale of unrequited love. It retains Katie’s original lyrics from the song that immediately captivated listeners, while updated production from the Grammy award-winning producer lifts her intimate yet powerful vocal performance to new heights.
Prior to the release of “complex (demo)” in August, the song quickly became a viral TikTok phenomenon, inspiring cover versions from the likes of Camila Cabello, King Princess, Madison Beer, Tom Walker and more in the span of just two weeks, with Katie eventually joining musician and Canadian singer-songwriter JP Saxe in New York City to perform the song together at the Rockwood Music Hall. “complex (demo)” was recently named Tune of the Week by Jack Saunders on his BBC Radio 1 Future Artists show.
Hailing from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands and until recently working in a coffee shop, Katie’s candid songwriting and stunning vocal abilities have quickly captured a global audience. “complex” and “complex (demo)” follow the independently released single ‘Second Single Bed’ and Katie’s 2021 debut 5-track EP Games I Play, which received support from BBC Radio 1, BBC Music Introducing and BBC Scotland, with Vic Galloway naming her one of BBC Scotland’s 25 Artists to Watch in 2022.
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