Carsie Blanton, ‘American Kid’ Music Video [Exclusive Premiere]
Still celebrating the release of her latest album Buck Up, singer-songwriter Carsie Blanton is sharing the music video for "American Kid" exclusively with readers of The Boot. Press play above to watch.
Blanton — who describes herself as a socialist and feminist — covers the gamut of emotions and topics on Buck Up, but "American Kid" stands out for both its sheer honesty and its necessary immediacy. And on top of the lyrical content, it's one of the catchiest songs on her new record.
For Blanton, though, it's important to note that the catchiness of "American Kid" can't be separated from its theme. Reflecting on her own childhood in the United States, Blanton admits to The Boot that the creation of "American Kid" came from a very real and eye-opening realization that her peaceful upbringing didn't actually represent the country as a whole.
"I had a fairly idyllic American childhood growing up in rural Virginia," Blanton says. "I actually did ride my pony bareback down to the river, most days. As I came of age and started to travel and read and meet people from other places, I began to get a sinking feeling that America may not be dedicated to the ideals I was raised with: freedom, democracy [and] open-heartedness."
As she began to grasp this realization, Blanton says she came to find out that America seems to be "much more dedicated to ideals like profit, power and global domination. [President Donald] Trump's election drove that home for me."
Because of how personal this song is for her, Blanton is quick to confess that it wasn't easy to write or record. But following the completion of the track, Blanton felt compelled to set out to create an unforgettable visual experience with the music video for "American Kid."
"I spent several months driving all over the country — Baltimore, Philly, New Orleans, El Paso, Albuquerque and my hometown of Luray, Va. — looking for kids whose little open faces said something to me about America," she recalls. As viewers watch and see many different citizens representing the titular American kid, they'll find that what those little open faces say about America are, as Blanton puts it, "Who we are, who we have been and who we are becoming."
"American Kid" is featured on Buck Up, out now on CD, digital and vinyl formats.
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