Jason Sinay has long been known for his collaborations with rock legends like Keith Richards, Neil Young, and his work with the Dirty Knobs. Now, Sinay is stepping into the solo spotlight with a powerful new project.
His latest single “It Was You” is a poignant track that marks a significant moment in Sinay’s music career.
Written over many years, starting when Sinay was just 21, the song is a deeply personal narrative about love and heartbreak. Inspired by a friend’s broken engagement over what Sinay perceived as a trivial matter, the song captures a broader, timeless view of romance.
With influences from Bob Dylan and Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, “It Was You” blends classic Americana with Sinay’s unique voice, delivering raw emotional vocals through its introspective lyrics and evocative melodies.
Today, we speak to Jason Sinay to find out more about the creative process behind the music video for “It Was You,” directed by the visionary George Mays. The video is designed not only to highlight Sinay’s transition to a solo artist but also to visually represent the song’s emotional and personal themes.
Featuring striking imagery of Los Angeles and dream-like visual effects, the video mirrors Sinay’s reflections on his past and his artistic growth:
Tell us the story of this song?
I have been writing “It Was You,” since I was 21.
This friend of mine was engaged to this gorgeous, amazing girl … and they called off their wedding over some bull ___. I couldn’t understand it, so I had to write a song about it.
“It Was You” isn’t about this isolated incoupling, though; the Dylan and Crazy horse-flavored track encapsulates Sinay’s long view of romance.
Why did you choose to visualize it specifically in this way?
In collaborating with visionary music video director George Mays (My Morning Jacket, Amos Lee, The Dirty Knobs) — our priority when making the video for “It Was You” was first to establish myself as a solo artist and contemporary song writer.
For years I have played with the best of the best as a guitar player and session musician.
With “It Was You” we really wanted to make a statement that looked and sounded authentically Jason, the song writer.
Our second goal was to craft a performance to deliver the song with an ice cold confidence, both in the vocal and guitar parts.
We rehearsed the vocal so that I am looking direct to camera eye line, allowing the audience to feel the power of the lyrics, and the guitar parts we rehearsed to allow me to feel free to express the music visually.
What inspired this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
We decided that, sub-textually, the Hollywood Hills would represent an objective view of my life as someone who grew up in Los Angeles, and the street shots with the car would represent the darker subjective view of my subconscious mind.
I have collected a life time of memories growing up in Los Angeles and the lyrics could echo many people and places that I knew intimately while growing up in these exact neighborhoods.
We chose hilltops that look out over places where I have lived, and deliberately drove by iconic locations form the past in my Mustang.
The visual effects in the video we created in camera by placing prisms and diopters in front of the lens. Our intention here was to create a dream like visual motif one often experiences when remembering the past.
What was the process of making this video?
We spent several days discussing our intentions for the video, one day rehearsing, one day scouting, then a day improvising the video by letting ourselves be free to experiment with my performance.
I explored the edge of my comfort zone in this performance by tapping in to the emotion behind the lyrics, which brought out a powerful rendering of the song.
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As Jason Sinay steps into his own spotlight, “It Was You” stands out for his journey to solo artist. With The Mountain on the horizon, this single not only shows his refined songwriting but also sets the stage for what promises to be a much anticipated album.
The collaboration with George Mays has not only brought Sinay’s song to life but also has solidified his place in the contemporary music landscape.
Keep up to date with Jason Sinay on his Website.
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