The Artist Explains: Lena Minder - 'Stay Around'
Swiss singer-songwriter Lena Minder speaks to us about the ideas behind her desolate visuals for charming folk single, ‘Stay Around’.
Where was the video for ‘Stay Around’ filmed?
The video was filmed in an abandoned building outside of Berlin called Grabowsee Heilstätte. It used to be a sanatorium for lung patients.
How does the video connect with the song?
The song is about a broken relationship that actually has never been overcome. The abandoned place is a symbol for the long lost partner. I'm basically going back in time (in my memory) to look for my love again but I can't find him. The white masks stand for all the different faces a person puts on while you're so desperately looking for the unmasked truth.
In the end of the video I realise that I can't find him as long as I'm not revealing my true self. That's why I'm wearing the mask in the end while he's actually not there but only in my imagination.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share with us?
Some behind the scenes stories: We had to leave around 6 in the morning to get to the location in time and to have enough sunlight to shoot. We shot this video last November while it was super cold and we were freezing so much for around 8 hours or so. It can't really be seen on the video but wearing only this dress was quite a challenge. I almost gave up after some time...
What do you hope people take away from watching the video?
So far I got a lot of feedback from people about this video saying they had to cry. This wasn't my intention but being able to evoke any kind of emotions by watching this video was definitely something I hoped for.
Interview by Karla Harris