The Artist Explains: PILLARS - 'Honest People'

London-based artist PILLARS gets personal with us about the meaning behind her entrancing music video and single, 'Honest People'.
Combing no-frills, dark electronic production and a beguiling, soulful vocal, 'Honest People' is the visionary and introspective title track from PILLARS new EP - an EP that offers an intimate account of PILLARS' experiences with mental health, with each song written at a different stage in her recovery.

PILLARS Explains
Where was the video for 'Honest People' filmed?
When I was trying to visualise the concept of this EP, old memories came flooding back to me of a time I spent most days locking myself away in a loft conversion I was living in 2 years ago. Out of choice I didn't have much contact with the outside world. This was when I wrote the bulk of this EP - I put up my walls and created a little hideaway for myself. By chance I was in contact with my old land lady when we were planning the shoot and it turned out the loft was empty at the time. This was the place my EP grew into what it is now, facing some of my darkest demons and exploring myself intensively - it was the perfect location to shoot. It was emotional being there but I guess this made for great filming!

How does the video compliment the song?
I'm a big fan of connecting my visuals to my music - especially when working with a concept like this. The concept is too personal to have any misconnected ties. Shaving my head not only symbolises the honest action of shedding an old self and body image but also the dramatic loss of hair I began to experience during my eating disorder, which this EP explores.

Any behind the scenes stories?
It was sweltering on the day of the shoot! We were all so sweaty. I think there were about 6 of us in this tiny loft with blacked out windows! After the shoot we all went for an ice cold coke at the local pub - nothing beats it when you're really, really thirsty right?

Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
Physical honesty and body image are the focus of this video. I guess body dysmorphia to an extent too! I really wanted this to be represented in the imagery. When I wrote the song it was about how I viewed myself and wanting for an honest opinion of who I was. It's so hard to know yourself and then accept it fully and so I wanted to show the shaving of my hair as a representation of tearing away all the bullshit!

What is the message you hope people take from watching the video?
It might sound really selfish but I think I wanted to send myself a message with the making of this video more than anyone! But I guess I want viewers to think about how they view themselves and the way the human mind can distort that, which is explored across the whole of my EP as well as the video for Honest People.

Interview Feature by Karla Harris