behind the music video with Val Killstar
I love pop music. Did you guys know that? It's true.
Molly Mary O’Brien
The music submissions I get are often in the rock genre. Which is great because, you know, I love rock music too. But my ears perk up when I get a pop song in my inbox, which is exactly when happened when the SoCal-based experimental pop artist Val Killstar sent me her song "Butterflies."
Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 13, 2024
Wistful, layered vocals; a sweeping arrangement worthy of that one really dramatic moment in a romantic comedy when the main characters have to start rethinking their lives; an abbreviated length that leaves one wanting more...I thought "Butterflies" was a tantalizing morsel of alt pop and I was left wanting more. More!
"Butterflies" has a dreamy, ocean-adjacent video shot on Super 8...and you know I like getting the behind-the-scenes views of music videos...so I asked Val Killstar some Qs about her musical project and the video. Let's go see...
[Molly Mary O'Brien] First, could you share a brief (or not!) history of your music career, just as an intro? What kind of journey have you taken that has led to the Val Killstar project?
[Val Killstar] I’ve been writing songs since before my handwriting was legible! I started off music as a career at about 18, when I moved to LA to start recording professionally and pursuing entertainment from all ends—modeling, acting, singing. My dream was more about pop music overall and I was committed to a traditional path of artist to label success. I explored that world with “Riss,” a previous project and stage name.
Val Killstar was really a fresh start in this new direction which is more independent, experimental and all encompassing of the many avenues I have explored across the states within entertainment. It also hold space for the persona I hope to grow into. Val Killstar is an infinity of her own.
I would love to hear more about the writing/recording process for "Butterflies." What inspired the song?
Yes! I actually did a video series talking about the meaning behind the song and funny thing is I feel like I barely scratched the surface. I wrote it a couple days after a breakup and it came flowing out pretty much as is. I recorded it the next day in the studio and the first take full through is where we ended that session because it felt so perfect. I was thinking of overarching themes between all my breakups and how I approach love and really making light of it all. The harp was gifted to Road Closed Studios I believe around that same time and I was stoked to add that texture to such a Shakespearian experience (that is how I felt performing it—formal, operatic, theatrical).
How did you come to work with Lex Hermosillo, the director of the video?
LEX! We met here in San Diego and basically started collaborating from day 1. Lex has always been passionate about consistently releasing creative projects so when I told him my vision for Val Killstar he was all about it and gradually took on the role.
Did you have a moodboard or particular visual inspiration for the video?
We did! A full pinterest mood board spinning off my inspiration for Val as an artist. I had just moved back to San Diego and wanted it to be near places that were healing to me. I’m quite inspired by surrealism and psychedelic visuals so it was all pulled from those main spheres. Post-production wise I had just collaborated with Pablo [Toledo], the editor of the video and he specializes in that type of visual so I didn’t really even direct him much. It was more like he read my mind honestly.
Where did you shoot the video?
We shot it at a secret location in Point Loma, and on the beach in Coronado (both San Diego).
How do you feel the video connects to the song / expresses the song visually?
Gosh it’s such a trip to be deep in the fantasy realm. Or in the romanticizing part of any relationship. I wanted to capture that part as it is what tore me up the most about coming to terms with the breakup. That end piece of sort of laughing while tearing open my glittered “chest,” well...that is exactly how I felt writing it. The beginning of trying to find the words to say, it's just all these subtle things that add up and ultimately can change the trajectory of your life. It’s maddening in a way and that loopy ending to the song and the video effects really brought it all home.
What was it like to totally wrap the video and watch the finished product?
When we wrapped I was really proud of myself as it was probably one of the longest days I had had in a while, we filmed it at dusk and dawn with a full work day in between. Finishing any collaboration is so bittersweet as I love to linger in feelings and time with people. Watching the film, though, really made everything feel so worth each second. We truly were not sure if the film would even come out so the fact that we got a whole music video out of it was incredible. I still can’t believe how beautifully it all came together.
Divine! Thanks Val! Listen to Val Killstar's "Butterflies" here and check out her link aggregation.
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