Exclusive: Peyton Gilliand’s “Ones That Leave” Music Video + Interview
Peyton Gilliand is premiering the music video for her current single “Ones That Leave” exclusively on Talk Nerdy With Us.
In addition to premiering this video on our site, I got the chance to talk to the 17 years old alternative pop singer about how she first got into making and performing music, her musical influences, the songwriting process for “Ones That Leave”, shooting her music video with Logen Christopher and more! Keep reading to see what she had to say.
Tell me a little bit about how you first got into making and performing music.
I started singing in church at 6 years old and have always known that this is what I wanted to do.
Was there a specific moment or person that made you realize that music is what you wanted to pursue professionally?
I think I was born with a love of music and it’s always been my passion. I’ve known since I was a young girl that I wanted to sing professionally and I’m so grateful that so many people have believed in me to help me make that happen.
I’m always genuinely curious about what artists want to convey with their music, so if you had to describe the music you make without using genre names, how would you describe it?
I like to think that for genre it has been placed in it is pretty organic. There aren’t a ton of synthetic instruments used and with a lot of music today, that’s pretty rare.
Going off of that who are some of your musical influences?
Alabama Shakes, Hozier, Cage the Elephant and Lennon Stella are some of my favorites.
Your latest single is titled “Ones that Leave”. What is that about?
It is about falling in love with the wrong person over and over again and learning that you’re partly responsible for your heartbreaks.
Something I’ve always been curious with songwriting is how topics come to mind. Did you know what to write about going into the song session that birthed “Ones That Leave” or did it just come about organically once you were in the session?
I typically have concepts just pop into my mind randomly in day to day life and I always make sure to write them down so I can bring them to my songwriting sessions. “Ones That Leave” came to life in a session one day after I had been sitting on that idea for awhile.
Was there any major changes made to “Ones That Leave” once you got into the recording studio, whether it be in the lyrics or something sonically?
Lincoln Parish, who used to be a band member for the Cage The Elephant, was the producer on this song as well as the rest of my EP. He really brought the entire song to life with the track he built and I immediately fell in love with it.
You also shot a music video for “Ones That Leave”. What was the process like? How did it compare to the others you have done?
This one is probably the best in my opinion. Logen Christopher with Stormlight Pictures is so creative and he created the concept for this video. Each idea he brought to the table was exactly what the song was about and I’m so proud of how the whole thing turned out.
You are still relatively new to the music game. What are some music industry-related goals or benchmarks that you’re aiming to reach in the next couple of years?
Just like anyone else in the industry, my desire is for streams and views to go up. But some of my goals are to learn a lot more about songwriting and continue to improve myself as an artist. Since I’m still so young, I’m fortunate to be able to have some champions in my corner that help me every week to push myself and challenge myself to grow and develop as an artist and a songwriter.
Last question- we’re called Talk Nerdy With Us because we all have an inner nerd so what is something that you’re currently needing out about?
I bought two beta fish and I’m pretty infatuated with them. I have read up on them and I’m trying to be as educated about their care as possible even though they are “just fish.”
For more information, make sure you visit Peyton’s website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Photo Credit: Logen Christopher