C&I has an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of country-pop artist Jenna Paulette’s music video for her new single, “ILYSM.”
Jenna Paulette self-identifies as “New West,” meaning she’s both rooted in country tradition and no stranger to modern culture. She comes by that new-old hybrid honestly: Her mom’s side comes from ranching, her dad’s from big-city sales.
“In everything I do, the way I dress, write, perform, even cook — my entire self is the New West,” she told The Boot.
Creating modern music that reaches across generations with its versatility, she puts a fresh twist on nostalgic country tracks.
With a love of George Strait and hip-hop, she blends new and old dissimilar sounds to develop an intriguing style from instruments that normally wouldn’t coexist. In the song “ILYSM,” the result is a poppy happy-go-lucky love anthem.
“The music video, much like the song, was inspired by my two worlds coming together,” Paulette says. “I grew up in the Dallas area but worked on our ranch with my grandfather every chance I got. I am headed there this weekend to work calves! He is the romance of the cowboy to me.”
The video shows Paulette in her native juxtaposition, showing both her city side and ranch side as she gracefully navigates between the two with her free-spirit fashion and her secondhand pickup truck.
“I had worked with the director, Todd Cassetty, before, and his vision for the video was a marriage of my modern ‘hip-hop soul,’ as he put it, and the traditional aspect of who I am,” Paulette says. “I am wearing a holographic bodysuit and cut-off Levi’s in one scene, which is super-modern, but I am driving my hand-me-down ranch truck and wearing a Stetson as well. [Laughs.] It doesn't get more traditional than that.”
Paulette says she’s really happy with how the video turned out: “It's just a really good visual representation of who I am and what it can mean to be a cowgirl in the modern world.”
Check out an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of the making of the “ILYSM” music video to see how this Texas native shows off her New West style.
For more information on Jenna Paulette and her upcoming performances, visit her website.