The Artist Explains: Brooklyn Doran - 'Tomorrow Never Comes'
Toronto singer-songwriter Brooklyn Doran talks to us about the personal message behind her fabulous single/video ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’, which is a beautiful tribute to a late friend.
Where was the video for 'Tomorrow Never Comes' filmed?
We filmed ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ at the BPS (BrittPaperScissors) studio space in Toronto, Ontario. My good friend Brittany Farhat directed the video and brought together an incredible community of people to build out the crew for the shoot.
How does the video connect with the song?
The song ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ was written after I had my final conversation with my friend Andrew “Glamdrew” Henderson who passed away in 2016 from Cancer. I was on tour for my first record at the time, and I had a day off of tour so I drove from my hometown to his hometown of Clandeboye, MB to visit for a few hours. I didn’t write this song for a long time after that last conversation. However, I think that it has always been an important thing within his community of friends to create art that captures the spirit of who he was and to continue to spread his message.
With this song, all of the proceeds will be donated to the519’s Will Munro Fund which is a program that supports queer and trans people living with cancer.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you could share with us?
We spent most of the day drinking REAL champagne! So I was definitely feeling pretty tipsy by the end of the shoot. In the video, the cast is all made up of real people from our community of friends who came together to share stories, wear clothing that once belonged to Andrew and dance. It was a really fun day.
There was a scene near the end of the day where each cast member had to sing along the words to the song, and by the end we were singing all together like a little choir, and that felt really special to me.
Can you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
We wanted the space and aesthetic to represent Andrew’s style. Before he passed away, we held three living funeral parties for him in Toronto, the inaugural being “Glamdrew’s Glitter Fuck Fest” where the theme was to dress in gold, dress in glitter, dress in a way that makes people on the subway stare. It was a blast! If you look closely at the set design, you will see small nods to that party, like photographs of our friends shot by Samantha Hurley; skulls with diamond eyes, roses and a skull with diamond eyes.
Is there a message the video is trying to convey?
With the song and video, I wanted to tell a story about my relationship with someone who was so important to my life. I wanted to include as many people as I could that have been a part of his world. I hope that people who see this video are able to see the sparkle of it all.
Interview by Karla Harris