Waves, Gems, and The Narrative

Progressive pop band Belladon share the video to their latest single, “Truths You Crave”. Aimee Jacobs of Belladon opens up about representing what value means in the video, the videographer’s camera getting wet while filming, and connection to oneself through the expression of another.

San Diego, USA

Who is Belladon and what is your music all about?

Belladon is a progressive pop band from San Diego. The project was formed by myself, Aimee Jacobs. The rest of the group is Heather Nation (guitar and vocals), Alex Bravo (bass), and Billy Petty(drums). I play all the synths and sing lead. My first calling to music was really through singing and dance. Out of all the instrumentation that exists, vocals are the most expressive and revealing. I told my mother when I was seven I wanted to be a singer. I think she was pretty startled because no one in my family is musical. When I was ten, I'd write down lyrics in my little journal and come up with melodies I liked. I always wanted to make the songs I wrote come to life but didn't really have the courage or resources to do so until I was older.

Once I got some experience under my belt, through music lessons and performing with other projects in my early teens to twenties, I started to become more brave. I quit music school around the age of 26. I had a backlog of songs I recorded. I felt ready to challenge myself in the ways that mattered most to me(hilarious in hindsight cause there is so much that goes into running an art/music project and I was so green). I started asking around to all my musician friends and had some people in the community vouch for me. I ended up starting Belladon with people I didn't even know that well. But I am happy to say they are all wonderful bandmates and friends. They have stuck with me through some insane ideas and have displayed nothing but faith and trust in me. I just feel so grateful there are people in this world who support this experiment I've latched onto, song writing.

You are sharing the video to your single, "Truths You Crave". What is the story behind this song? How does the video represent the mood and feel?

I don't want to get too specific about the answer here. Art is wonderful at showing you how you really feel. When a person sees a piece of art or listens to a piece of music, they are really just connecting with themselves on a deeper level. Art is a conduit to get to your own heart. If I am direct about the meaning, it takes away from the most important aspect of the experience: connection to oneself through the expression of another. The concept behind the video was really a response to the mental state I was in during the song writing process. Without putting too much influence onto the perception, the song and video are a study on value. The gems in the music video are a representation of value; what's valuable to you versus what society tells you to value, or how to make yourself valuable. I like to play around with questions like these.

What was the process of making the video?

The director's name is RC Kruger. I moved into a new place in the middle of Covid and he happened to be a videographer. I had a plot line and RC really helped me envision the details and frames in order to execute the story. We did a bunch of crazy, pain in the ass things just to get the shots we wanted! We set up a dali, drum set, wardrobe, and tons of camera gear in the dark with sand on everything. The making of the video really pushed us to our limits. We shot it at Windansea beach because I loved the landscape. This beach has these beautiful giant rocks. The water is aggressive, violent and unpredictable. I loved the way the water would smash up against the rocks and slowly drain back out to sea. One day we got completely soaked by a wave while standing on a rock as tall as a one story building. We had to rent a camera to film the rest of the music video after the original camera crapped out from water damage and salt build up. It took us about three months to get all the shots we needed. Filming only at sunset, ruining a camera, and trying to set up gear on the beach was hard work. There were times we felt pretty discouraged but we both knew if we persevered, it would turn out amazing.

What were the most memorable moments while filming? Fun times and challenges.

Feeling responsible for a wave that completely drenched the director's camera is pretty high up there!

I am pretty sure I scared Alex and Billy one day when the water was particularly high tide and very strong. I was doing a scene walking into a cave. The cave would fill up with water every time a big wave would come but I couldn't see when the waves were coming while inside. I almost got hit pretty bad before I ran out just in time. It was honestly pure luck I didn't get completely pushed off my feet from the water rushing in so quickly. In between moments like this, we were all just drinking topo chicos on the beach and cracking jokes. On the last day of shooting Alex told me my level of commitment towards getting all our shots was insane. I asked him if he actually thought I was crazy. He started laughing and said "you have always been kind of insane". I am oddly proud of this description of myself.

How does this video show your growth as an artist and musician?

The main thing I have gained out of this process is understanding narrative. Setting up a story to convey a message truly is an art form. I learned a lot about this working with RC. He is a great visual storyteller. I want to get better at telling stories in my songs because it's so engaging. Who doesn't love a great story?

What's next for Belladon?

Currently, we are starting to work on a new song that I've finished demoing at my little home studio. I've been exploring the idea of having collaborations on future Belladon songs. Kadhja Bonet, one of my all time favorite artists for the past year, heard "Truths You Crave" and wants to collaborate in the future. Needless to say I can't wait to send her new songs. The fact that she even took the time to listen and wanted to work with us was a big high point. Compliments from people who you admire and respect always hit a lot harder. I want to make more music videos and do a live recorded EP of all the singles we will be releasing in the coming year. We are really looking forward to a new creative direction of the project and this single marks the beginning of that. I’m also working on getting us some bigger shows. We have to finish demos right now but we are starting next year at the Music Box Feb 10th and will have another new song ready to perform by then.