by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH MOLLY THOMAS

When a life altering moment changes everything, some artists retreat. Others write. For Molly Thomas, the aftermath of a devastating car accident in August 2023 became both a period of deep healing and unexpected creative clarity.

Her new single “Crash,” co-written with longtime collaborator Ken Rose, captures that raw emotional journey with rare honesty and grace.

Quiet, luminous, and haunting in its simplicity, “Crash” tells the story of survival, acceptance and the deep gratitude that follows being kept on this earth by the kindness of others.

In this interview, Ken Rose opens up about the inspiration behind the song, the process of writing and recording it, and the symbolism behind the intimate video that accompanies its release.

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

Crash was the only song we wrote after Molly’s accident. We were sitting on Captain Tom’s dock, in the hammocks. Molly was still in recovery, and the song just flowed naturally.

It’s always been a favorite because of its honesty, and I love the free, easy ’70s vibe we captured. “Crash” is essentially a documentary that encapsulates Molly’s accident — not just the physical experience, but the emotional and spiritual journey as well.

It’s also a reflection of the deep gratitude we feel for the community and circle of friends who showed up when Molly needed support the most. I asked Molly to record a simple, neutral, and unaffected vocal video on the porch because I wanted to capture her emotional strength. It was a gamble — it was either going to work or completely fall flat.

Since Molly and I were writing and recording the album before, during, and after the crash, I witnessed her pain, joy, and growth firsthand. I wanted to capture her “survival” in the video — and I think we did.

2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

The inspiration for the video was to capture the essence of “pure” Molly, combined with the feeling of movement — driving — to represent her journey and recovery. The clarity of Molly’s emotions, contrasted with a blurry, surreal night drive through a foreign country (I filmed it in Casablanca, Morocco), felt like the right metaphor.

3. What was the process of making the video?

The process of making the video was simple: don’t overthink anything.

We had just half a day to create something, so it had to be all about trust and flow. That’s how our creative partnership has always worked — trusting that whatever we make together will be honest.

Find out more about Molly Thomas on her Website

06.30.25

by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH REEYA BANERJEE

Get ready to hit the ground running with Reeya Banerjee’s brand new music video for her punchy new single “Runner.”

This visually dynamic video brings to life the hectic, high energy pace of Reeya’s NYC corporate commute days. All complete with high heels, crowded platforms and a barefoot dash through Grand Central Station.

Directed by Reeya herself and edited by Khalifa Cyrus, the video captures the raw, scrappy energy of city life and the relentless rhythm of chasing deadlines, trains, and moments of breathless motion. It’s a candid and kinetic snapshot of a uniquely New York experience, set to a soundtrack that’s as urgent and unrelenting as the story it tells.

Watch “Runner” now and feel the pulse of the city through Reeya’s eyes:

1. Tell us the story of this song. Why did you choose to visualize it this way?

“Runner” is a punky, breathless tribute to my NYC corporate commute era — all high heels, Metro-North mayhem, and motion without pause. I was constantly running: to the train, to the office, back to the platform, across the Mid-Hudson Bridge after work… lather rinse repeat five days a week.

This song captures that manic rhythm. I wanted to visualize it literally — because I really did run barefoot through Grand Central to catch my train. So we shot that. It felt right to put my actual memories on screen.

2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

This is my first traditional narrative music video — and it’s rooted in one of the most absurd and real parts of my 20s. The storyline recreates my daily commute: barrelling through the streets of midtown Manhattan, dodging crowds in Grand Central, racing across the platform in heels (or not), and finally collapsing into a train seat as the Hudson River goes by. Khalifa Cyrus brought the pacing to life by blending live footage, timelapses, and performance moments that channel the song’s urgency. It’s scrappy, sweaty, and deeply New York.

3. What was the process of making the video?

We shot on location in Manhattan and Brooklyn — no permits, just sneakers (and high heels!), friends, and phones. Guntas Singh and Jack Quigley helped film the Grand Central and street scenes while I directed and hoped no one would kick us out of the concourse. Khalifa Cyrus handled the edit, cutting between candid footage and the video’s climactic barefoot sprint. This was a deeply DIY process that mirrors the energy of the song: raw, real, and running on fumes.

Keep up with Reeya Banerjee on her Website

06.30.25

by Jane Lambert

“Second Chance” Is Stigma’s Boldest Leap Yet — Raw, Reflective and Roaring with Purpose

There’s a fire in “Second Chance” that doesn’t flicker. It surges.

German hard rock band Stigma, forged in 2021, have made good on the promise of their earlier EPs (Last Order, First Call) and delivered something tougher, deeper and far more personal. This is a record born from global, political and internal unrest, and every note very much feels like a response to it.

Recorded high in the Italian mountains and carved out of both philosophical musings and lived in experiences, “Second Chance” truly stands out.

Listen in here:

Stigma don’t look for the easy answers here. Instead, it’s more about owning the chaos, surviving the night, and daring to keep going. From the opening track “The Signs”, frontman Gerald Zinnegger sets the tone. It’s searching, defiant and anthemic.

“Spinning circles in space and time” he sings, with conviction. That duality of doubt and defiance ripples through the whole of the album. “Glorious Victory” follows with a cinematic sweep. Guitars soar, drums pound and the message lands with a force – that true strength lies in control.

If “Second Chance” has a heartbeat, it is “Blaze of My Heart” where Zinnegger is at full throttle, singing like a man with nothing left to lose. It’s a cathartic outburst and a reminder of why any of us hold on through the noise. The bands sounds really locked in here.

Their lead single, “Faraway” is a rare and tender moment. This song is restrained, melancholic and shot through with longing. Inspired by the prison island Gorgona, it is a study in emotional isolation. Yet even here, Stigma show a flicker of hope, of imagined forgiveness.

Then comes “Monster,” arugably the album’s most vulnerable moment. The lyrics here flirt with self loathing but stop short of collapse. The closer “Corruptor” slinks in with a poisonous groove – hypnotic, lean and devestatingly timely. It’s a warning more than protest that corruption is not always loud. Sometimes, it whispers. And, sometimes, it is you.

Overall sound wise, the album strikes a powerful balance. Guitarist Markus Mantau, bassist René Chlebnitschek and drummer Bernd Paptistella lay down a muscular, dynamic foundation throughout. The production captures the sweat and shadows of a real band in a real room.

Crucially, “Second Chance” is an album that connects everything together. It is an album that reminds the listener that rock doesn’t have to posture to hit hard. That heaviness can come from honesty, not just distortion. That a band still finding its shape can already sound this defined.

If “First Call” introduced Stigma, “Second Chance” certainly cements them as not just a band to watch but a band that sees the world clearly and sings about it honestly.

Find out more about Stigma on their Website

06.30.25

by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s WITH CLEMENTINE MOSS

As a founding member of the all female Led Zeppelin tribute band ZEPPARELLA, and the force behind introspective solo projects like Nothing Will Keep Us Apart and Clem & Clearlight, Clementine Moss has long balanced raw rock power with a spiritual depth.

Her latest work continues this exploration, blending poetic songwriting with personal transformation.

In this exclusive interview, Clementine opens up about the emotional and spiritual shifts that inspired one of her most evocative songs called “Coming to Meet The Blues”.

Created during her journey toward sobriety, the track and its accompanying music video captures the ache of existential questioning and the haunting beauty of roads not taken. Working closely with visual artist Luigi Florente of Blackstars Studio, Clementine brings to life a narrative of romantic memory, longing and awakening. All framed through a vintage lens that echoes the soul of the song.

Here, she walks us through the heart of the piece, the vision behind the visuals and how art continues to help her meet life without the veil:

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

I wrote the album, and this song in particular, as my life was shifting and I was becoming sober. The songs on the record ended up being a kind of love letter to the life I was leaving behind, the late nights in bars, substance-induced hazy moments where judgment was maybe not present. Those moments could be beautiful and creative, but also illusory and over time I began to be more excited by meeting life without a veil.

This song is about that feeling of longing that is existential, when alcohol takes over and you begin to question all the choices that brought you to this point. The narrator of the song sees someone across the bar and paths not taken come into view and amplify the question… have I made the right choices? Is this where I thought I was going? Is the uncertainty I feel about myself truth or mistake?

2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

I work with Luigi Florente of Blackstars Studio in Spain to do the videos for the album. I ask that he work with clips and footage without AI generation, and he has a wonderful way of getting inside the song and telling the story. He chose to tell the story of lost love here, and we loved the romantic visuals.

3. What was the process of making the video?

Luigi finds the clips and puts the story together, and then I bring the video into Wondershare and add some lighting and texture. I love working in that program, as there are so many options to use so easily. I love things to look vintage, and the various options of light leak filters really add to the romance.

06.11.25

by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3 Q’s with HAVILAH TOWER

Sometimes, the most resonant songs emerge not from a single moment of inspiration but from a long, quiet process of rediscovery.

“Open Wide” is the latest single from cinematic folk-pop artist Havilah Tower, and it is one such song – a reflective and emotionally charged meditation on what it means to outgrow the life you thought you wanted. Tower explores the quiet reckoning that comes when ambition gives way to presence, and when clarity begins to form in the spaces we often overlook.

The journey to Open Wide began with an unexpected spark: an article about her alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, hiring their first Songwriter-in-Residence.

That artist, Darden Smith, would go on to mentor Tower through a series of creative breakthroughs, helping her reconnect with her voice in new ways. What followed was a groundbreaking collaboration across borders – Tower and her longtime trio partnered with international music startup Hall Up to bring the track to life, working with UK-based producer David A. Griffiths and Hollywood engineer Adam Freeman to shape the sound.

“Open Wide” marks a shift not just in Tower’s sound, but in her storytelling. It’s the product of reflection, resilience and a willingness to see – and sing – the truth.

1.Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

Our newest single, Open Wide, is a cinematic folk-pop song that explores what happens when you’ve built up a “dream life” but it turns out to be different than you thought or want anymore.

Open Wide is a raw, lyrical reflection on trading illusion for truth—and finding the courage to be honest with yourself on what really matters to you, which often are the simple things around you all along.

Or you can stream or buy Open Wide on your favorite music platform: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/havilahtower/open-wide

2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

For the Open Wide music video, we wanted to bring the core message of the song, showing the contrast of someone leading a seemingly successful life on the surface while also struggling.

In the music video for “Open Wide”, you follow a central character as she rises to fame through her music, a life she worked hard to create. Even though it all looks beautiful on the outside, she is struggling on the inside missing the core, fundamental things in her life she grew up like spending time with family, true connections with friends and a sense of herself.

Central to where we meet the main character in the story is an unraveling of this supposed “dream life”. It’s through this unraveling that she breaks through to something more meaningful, her own truth and direction – all things that take courage to embrace when you’re leading such a seemingly successful life. This shift plays out in the music video as a parallel between her adult self and her childhood memories that she starts to reconnect with.

It’s a reminder that all the glitters is not gold, and that sometimes our hardest moments can be doorways into something more truer and more meaningful. Hence the lyrics: “Unraveling minds open wide”.

3. What was the process of making the video?

In making Open Wide, we wanted to push the envelope of leveraging technology to tell the story. We tend to embrace a “test and learn” mentality so we decided to leverage some of the latest AI tools, like Runway, and build out the narrative portion of the story, which involved a lot of hours of fine-tuning prompts and then of course, editing the clips to tell the story. Through this work, we built out the journey of our central character.

Simultaneously, we wanted to ground the video in this world with a performance from our band so we conducted multiple filmings in order to capture each of us to interweave throughout the video, mainly featuring Havilah Tower as the primary narrator who is singing Open Wide.

There is a subtle moment that happens at the beginning and end of the music video, starting off with what appears to be a forced smile but ending with a more real, authentic smile. The smile bookends the journey of going from a seemingly successful life to truer success of being connected to yourself and making choices that are actually fulfilling.

Find out more about Havilah Tower on her Website

05.27.25

by Jane Lambert

VIDEO VOYAGEUR: 3Q’s WITH STIGMA

Emerging from the heart of Germany’s modern rock scene, Stigma are not here to chase trends.

With their debut album Second Chance on the horizon, the band is carving out a sound that is both emotionally raw and powerfully cinematic in sound.

Their latest single, “Faraway,” serves as a stunning entry point. It’s a brooding, confessional track steeped in guilt, isolation and that quiet ache of waiting for redemption.

But what sets Stigma apart isn’t just the intensity of their music. It is the honesty behind it. For their first official video, the band turned the camera inward and cpatured not a scripted narrative, but the real-time journey of recording “Faraway” in a remote mountain studio.

We sat down with the band to talk about the origins of “Faraway,” the making of the video, and what fans can expect from Second Chance. What followed was a candid, heartfelt conversation about facing the past, embracing vulnerability, and holding out hope for what’s still to come:

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

Faraway is about guilt, isolation, and the hope for redemption – someone exiled, trapped by both physical walls and inner regrets, holding on to the distant dream of being forgiven. It’s not about escape, but about waiting to be freed. That emotional weight runs through every line of the song.

We wanted to show that tension honestly. The video shifts between two sides: the intense, emotional live performance while recording the track, and the quiet, raw moments behind the scenes. No drama, no acting – just what really happened.

That contrast brings authenticity. It’s not a concept video – it’s a feeling. A haunting pull toward something just out of reach – but with the quiet certainty that the day will come.

2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

We approached the video like a short documentary – no actors, no script, just what actually happened. The storyline behind the scenes follows our real journey: arriving at the studio in the mountains, stepping out of the car, setting up gear, getting feedback from our producer, tuning, laughing, working. It’s that quiet buildup before the storm – a glimpse into the atmosphere that shaped the song.

Visually, the contrast was key. We alternated these raw, candid moments with close-up shots of us performing Faraway in the studio – not for the camera, but for real.

That mix gives the video its pulse. It’s less about acting out a plot and more about letting the setting, the process, and the people tell the story. The goal was simple: to make you feel the song, not just hear it.

3. What was the process of making the video?

I brought in Mattia Mariotti – a skilled video producer and guitarist for Philipp Burger (Frei.Wild) – to film our time in the studio. I asked him to capture everything without restriction. No script, no posing – just real moments. I trusted his eye and gave him full freedom to document whatever unfolded.

After several days of shooting, he told me, “There’s a lot of material here.” That’s when I had the idea to turn it into our first official video. What made it click was the natural rhythm of the footage – the way the calm, intimate behind-the-scenes shots contrasted with the explosive, emotional performance scenes. It mirrored exactly what Faraway does musically: restrained, confessional verses that build into a powerful, wide-open chorus.

That structure became the backbone of the edit. The camera follows the same emotional arc as the song itself – from inner conflict to a burst of longing and release.

That’s how the video found its form: through truth, not planning.

Follow Stigma on their Website