PREMIERE: Alice Kiernan struggles with inner turmoil in Donegal-set 'Blue' video

25-year-old musician Alice Kiernan has unveiled the Megan Daly-directed video for her brand new single 'Blue' - premiered below by Hot Press.

Assisted by Rory Williams and Paul Kehoe on camera, the video follows the story of Alice running from the feeling of sadness - a role played by the camera itself.

Produced by Alex O'Keeffe - who has worked with the likes of Bobbi Arlo, Emma Edel and Erica Cody - 'Blue' paves the way for Alice to immerse herself further into the Irish music industry.

“I wrote ‘Blue’ in January 2021 in the midst of what was probably one of the most paralysing times in my life. 'Blue' is my first music video," Alice Kiernan said of the release. "It was really special for me to get the opportunity to tell the story of 'Blue' visually. It follows the feelings of sadness, dejection, and the determination to make it through to the other side - something we've all experienced throughout 2021.”

“Everything about my song 'Blue' is as a result of the pandemic. I wrote it during the pandemic, it was produced via Zoom, and the director for the music video is my best friend and housemate, Megan Daly. Whenever we felt the weight of the restrictions, we would pour some wine and plan our music video. The whole project was an escape for us and something positive to work on.”

Film on Murvagh Beach in Donegal, the visuals see Alice struggling with her inner thoughts in the outside world, trying to find an escape in the natural world around her.

Speaking about the concept for the video, director Megan Daly said, "We wanted to visually convey the states of mind and the journey you go through when you're feeling down, or you're in a bad place mentally.
We've all been there. We all know this feeling. The lightbulb moment when conceptualising the video was all around being really afraid of that feeling and how it can just hit you out of nowhere."

"It's about actually being afraid of your own mind, your own feelings," Daly adds. "Alice is trying to quite literally outrun this feeling. The dresses are a really important element too because they represent the physical manifestation of how these feelings affect you. It's all consuming and leaves a mark well after it's gone."

Following the release of debut single 'Running Now'; 'Blue' is a further step for Kiernan into the pop world - with influences from artists such as Troye Sivan, Maggie Rogers and Phoebe Bridgers.

Meath native Alice began singing and playing guitar at the age of 12. By the age of 16, she began her music career by gigging and performing in venues around Dublin and nationwide. Through gigging and posting covers and her own originals online, Kiernan gained a small following which created the foundation and gave her the confidence to start releasing music independently.

Taking a step back from her acoustic guitar, 'Blue' focuses on the desire to wipe yourself clean of any sadness.

Check out the gorgeous video for 'Blue' below: