Kaeley Jade makes a mess of things in her colourful new video for the single Painless — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
Produced by the Juno-nominated team at Velveteen Music, Painless dances through the nuclear fallout of a relationship gone awry. Inspired by artists like Vance Joy and Maggie Rogers, the track is filled to the brim with shimmering hooks, velvety vocals and groovy riffs. Both cynical and celebratory, the song finds the Edmonton Métis artist disguising a deep emotional rawness in a crisp and vibrant package of indie-pop.
“In a lot of ways, Painless is a continuation of the story I had told in my debut single Years Ago,” Jade explains. “All of my songs are sparked from my own personal experiences, and in this case, I had more to say on that particular chapter of my life. Where Years Ago looks wistfully into the past at what could have been Painless is a seer’s look into a dystopian future. I wrote it as a reminder to myself to always trust my instincts, because some things just aren’t worth the pain that comes with pursuing them, as tempting as they might be.”
Equally vibrant: The paint-flinging video used to illustrate the song. “The pandemic really forced us to get creative with how we shot the video,” Jade says. “While I had always envisioned a project that combined my skills as a multidisciplinary artist, figuring out how to achieve that while being forced to work with a lot of limitations proved to be an exciting challenge. We shot the entire video in a mock studio we built in my dad’s shop, and we had a very small crew on set, with my cohort doing most of the helping out.”
Not that Jade needs much help. Armed with a soulful, velvety voice, the singer-songwriter possesses the captivating ability to craft music that is both playful and poignant. Effortlessly blending lush poetry and hooky melodic lines, she creates her own brand of indie pop that is fresh, polished and vibrant.
Since dropping Years Ago in January 2020, Kaeley has been making waves in the Canadian music scene. After a strong community response, Years Ago was added to regular rotation in Edmonton. Her music has been featured on Spotify editorial playlists, and her song Elijah was placed in the film No Apology. Kaeley’s music has been played on Indigenous radio stations across North America, and her single Highway 16 broke the top 10 of the Indigenous Music Countdown. She has appeared at a multitude of venues including the Big Valley Jamboree and the Tim Hortons Brier, and has performed alongside the Edmonton Pops Orchestra. She was recently selected from hundreds of applicants across Canada to perform in RBCxMusic’s First Up Program, which premiered in December 2020. Alongside her career as a singer/songwriter, Kaeley also works as an actor and visual artist, and she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in acting from the University of Alberta.
Watch Painless above, hear more from Kaeley Jade below, and get in touch at her website, Facebook and Instagram
