As she gets ready to release her fifth studio album So Glad To Know You, Avery*Sunshine is reaching into her creative bag and pulling out an aural and visual celebration of life and love for her fans. Through her singles “Lifted Up” and “I Wonder” and their videos that double as episodes of a limited digital series, she is bringing her forthcoming record to life with intention. Sunshine is delivering more than new music, she’s giving fans an experience.
The first stop on her self-guided journey to learning and loving self and family deeper is the lead single “Lifted Up.” Co-written alongside Cory Irvin, Jamison Ross, her husband Dana “Big Dane” Johnson and daughter DREWTHEREW, Sunshine’s soulful exuberance overflows on this funky number. As she ponders the emotional and spiritual high she’s experiencing in life, she can’t help but get overjoyed. She’s addicted to this thing, and it’s got her lifted.
“Have you ever felt it / That something / You can’t put your finger / On it,” she sings, opening the song a tad perplexed. “The thing that wakes you up / That thing that fills your cup / I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I’m lifted up,” she exclaims, feeling a rush as she continues.
The accompanying video directed by Steven Jon of Oh Yeah Cool serves as the first episode of Avery’s So Glad To Know You companion web series. We join the singer and a few folks who look bored to death in a support group meeting. The facilitator asks her to introduce herself and to share her story. As Avery tries to describe her addiction, things quickly escalate when the beat drops.
The scene switches from color to black-and-white, and her vibrant sweater is replaced with a too-cool-for-school leather jacket and bedazzled turban. The meeting turns into an impromptu concert and her fellow attendees join in her merriment after a little cajoling. The energy is electric as she sings and prances around the room and even kicks chairs over. The video cuts back to real life, and Avery is standing on her chair belting out the song and leading a revival. She leaves the meeting on a high, singing “I feel it!” while exiting through the doors.
While “Lifted Up” takes us on a wild ride, the second single “I Wonder,” slows things down for an introspective vibe. Co-written by Sunshine, Big Dane and Rob Milton, the single is another stop on her personal growth journey. She knows that she’s got a good, strong love but fear and doubt still creep into her thoughts.
“I’m scared about our right now / Because our yesterday was wrong / I’m trying not to bring you down / But these thoughts keep coming up / Like it can’t be this good for real / And you’re not sure ’bout how you feel,” she expresses her vulnerability on the first verse. Throughout “I Wonder” Avery keeps it real about overthinking, second-guessing and jinxing this relationship in her head before ultimately deciding to let love rule her heart.
The visual for “I Wonder” and the second episode of the So Glad To Know You series picks up where the first episode left off. Avery*Sunshine returns home still on a high from her uplifting group therapy session only to come crashing back down to reality. She steps into a house full of people disturbing her peace. Her hubby Big Dane is on the move to a gig and can barely stop to make plans for a date night but asks her if she’s seen his “lucky draws,” which sours her mood and sets the narrative in motion.
- Advertisement -Sunshine begins singing right there in the middle of all of the chaos going on in her house and everyone is so caught up doing their own thing that no one skips a beat. She’s dismayed and disappointed in the moment, but we see Avery and Big Dane in a few flashback scenes that show them in happier times. However, the good times are balanced out with scenes that have her wondering if they can, in fact, go the distance. The clip ends with her sitting in her living room contemplating it all before she puts everyone out of her house as the credits roll.
Two songs and two episodes in, and Avery*Sunshine has our interest piqued for what’s to come with So Glad To Know You – the album and the series. The LP is slated to drop this summer, but we’re already looking forward to more singles and visuals as this musical story and dramatic comedy unfolds.
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