Canadian sister duo Tegan and Sara have put out the latest visuals from their new album Love You To Death. The video for Faint of Heart was released this week and features a poptastic, glitzy “lip sync battle”. The contenders are all LGBTQ artists made up as iconic pop stars such as Prince, Madonna and David Bowie.
The song itself tells a familiar story of love overcoming the odds, Tegan explains that “The song was simply a reminder to listen to my heart and not worry about what other people think.” As both sisters are strong advocates for the LGBTQ community, Tegan and Sara also feel the importance of their fans feeling represented through them. As such, they chose to spotlight other amazing LGBTQ talent in the Faint of Heart video.
Starring Tyler Ford as Prince, Ella Giselle as Madonna, Dominic Ravina as Elvis, Olabisi Kovabel as Grace Jones, Cooper Treibel as David Bowie, and Eli Erlick and Ni Ching-Marino as Sara and Tegan, respectively. Gloriously produced, set on a slightly seedy stage with familiar side show props like metallic streamer curtains and neon lights. Each performer retains their own identity despite playing their superstar roles.
Filmed the day after the tragic shooting at Orlando nightclub Pulse, the video assumed a truly heartfelt aspect in its making. Tyler Ford described the process; ”Working with other trans and gender non-conforming folks fills my heart up, and the fact that LGBTQ youth will be able to see possibilities for themselves in this video is so vital,” adding that “being on set with so many LGBTQ folks — especially the day after the Pulse shooting — was so necessary, nurturing, affirming, and healing. It’s so important to be able to create with and within our communities.”
Clearly looking to express more than just another music video, Tegan described her hopes for the effect the clip will have on audiences; “Some of the themes of the video — mentorship, finding community, expression, bravery — are things you see so many LGBTQ youth actively pursuing in order to thrive. We need to be strong against a lot of hate in this world.”
Image: Stereogum