Patrick Watson Unveils Stunning Choreographed Video For “Can’t Stop Staring At The Sun”
From his recent three-part single “A Mermaid In Lisbon”, Montreal’s Patrick Watson has shared the new video for the closing third “Can’t Stop Staring At The Sun”. The lush, orchestral piece is matched with a beautiful and surreal performance from dancers Anthony Bryant, Gianinni Semedo Moreira, and Nicolas Walton, choreographed by Jacob Jonas.
“During the lockdown I was really inspired and watching a lot of modern dance videos”, explains Watson. “‘Can’t Stop Staring at the Sun’ felt like it was a dance piece from the beginning. I was already collaborating with Jacob Jonas on another project, so I asked him if he could make me a dance video. I gave him the song and he came back with this beautiful piece“.
Jacob Jonas shares the inspiration behind the video: “Our truest vulnerabilities are amplified when seen. The exposure to the light allows a witness to observe. The sun returns each day. Nature’s way to remind us to start again. We are scheduled by brightness. When dark, we are illuminated by the artificial. This narrative is about man’s dependence of sunlight and without it, he is caught.” He adds “There’s a strange satisfaction of staring at the sun. The attraction to something you’re not supposed to be attracted to. It’s intense, surreal and lucid. This video explores what’s real versus what’s imagined through fear.”
“The inspiration for these three pieces came the last time I was walking the streets of Lisbon. It’s my favourite place to wander it just generally feels like the streets are singing this wonderful melancholic sound for your walk, that pulls you into small winding roads, that make you feel like you’ll get lost and never return. Hence the mermaid title. It’s an incredible place and it was the one place in the world I missed most during the quarantine.”
Lead by a tranquil synthesizer pulsating against the soft swell of a string section, “Can’t Stop Staring At the Sun” is a compelling and soul-touching sonic journey that is transformed into a moving and artistic dance piece that gives the illusion of transcending space and time.
Watch the music video below:
