Culture
31 Aug 21

PREMIERE: Dublin act ANDI drops macabre video for 'Giving Up' from debut EP

CEDAR WARD, the debut EP from ANDI, focuses on five different facets of mental health.

Emerging performer ANDI (Amy Kelly) has shared an exclusive video for 'Giving Up' with Hot Press, taken from her forthcoming debut EP CEDAR WARD.

Kelly cut her teeth fronting Dublin act The Stoney Brokes, later providing backing vocals for a number of acts in Ireland - including The Hot Sprockets, This Other Kingdom, Brona Keogh, Haokah and Vernon Jane.

ANDI is the new project which sees Amy step out into the spotlight to showcase not just her presence as a live act but also her skill as a songwriter.

The act initially started as an acoustic 2-piece and initially developed into a full band for a performance at Knockanstockan Music Festival in 2019. A stream of shows that year led to the recording of ANDI’s debut single, ‘Hermit’. The track took influence from Tame Impala, The Pixies, Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith.

In February 2021, ANDI released dramatic track 'Housewife'. The captivating offering explored feeling trapped in an everyday routine, societal expectations of women and the boredom of normal life. This marked the first single from Kelly's CEDAR WARD EP, with ANDI selected as one of Whelan's Ones to Watch.

The darkened video for new single 'Giving Up' was directed and choreographed by Julie Weber, who also carried out costume design.

"Spending time with Amy’s song 'Giving Up', I began thinking of the late middle age narrative The Dance of Death," Weber wrote of the video's description.

"This narrative summons representatives from all walks of life to dance along to the grave, expressing the inevitability of death regardless of status, wealth or age. For 'Giving Up', I re-imagined this story with representatives of an individual’s emotions - portraying the inevitability of all feelings - both negative, positive and the inbetweenies. These materialised as five performers that I named ‘The Inners’. I wanted the video to convey the intricacy of an individual’s internal conditions - highlighting resilience, playfulness and the prevalence of seeking peace or a satisfactory outlet."

Kelly's EP CEDAR WARD is a musical piece of healing, with Amy having grown up visiting hospital wards and clinics from an early age. ANDI then created a fictional and non-fictional creative space to deal with past and present trauma, touching mental health, toxic relationships, co-dependency, societal expectations and female empowerment.

Check out the brand new video for 'Giving Up' below: