Sarah Walk Shares Cinematic Video for 'Nothing Compares 2 U'

Following the release of her raw, refreshingly honest second album Another Me, singer-songwriter Sarah Walk has shared her original take on the Prince classic made famous by Sinéad O'Connor; "Nothing Compares 2 U", and its poignant accompanying video. The short film was shot in LA by director Daniel Smith Coleman and follows a young man battling with his sobriety, shot completely in reverse starting with the end of his night and working back to his temptation to drink.

"For this Nothing Compares 2 U music video, I wanted to find a way to re-frame the song to give it a new life and meaning" Walk says. "It's always been interpreted as a song about a romantic relationship, but when I was listening to the lyrics, I was really struck by the opening line 'it's been 7 hours and 13 days' - a lyric that suggests each passing hour is a feat and triumph. This made me think about sobriety and the struggles of temptation and addiction, resistance and possibility. I thought this was an important story to tell, particularly now, when so many people are struggling with mental health challenges from isolation and lack of adequate resources due to covid19. I wanted to zoom in on one moment of resilience that may have otherwise gone unseen.

We shot this video at night throughout Los Angeles and I was fortunate to have an incredible team pull together to make it possible. Arne Gjelten, who played the lead, is such an incredible actor who was completely committed to the character and bringing out his dynamic emotional experience. Kyle Smolic, (DP) had the idea of rigging the camera to the outside of the car to get that horizontal shot of Arne in the rear-view mirror and the side of the car. We had Arne drive around rather aimlessly to get into character as we all followed behind him in our own cars. The director, Daniel Smith Coleman, was hunched over in the backseat of the car while he drove, and we also got a few shots with the camera in the back and in the passenger seat. I was so mesmerized by Arne's ability to show so much emotional versatility just in his facial expression, and his commitment to the character throughout the entire night."

Walk has wanted to cover Prince for some time, in part due to them both hailing from Minneapolis, but also because collaborators Abe Rounds and Meshell Ndegeocello played the pop legends personal studio Paisley Park in the past. However, she was keen to make it more than a simple replica.

A graduate of Berklee College of Music (alumni includes St Vincent, Aimee Mann, Melissa Ethridge among others), Walk grew up in Minnesota but has spent much of her time living between Los Angeles and London. She worked on her debut album Little Black Book with producer Steve Brown (Laura Mvula) and co-produced Another Me with Leo Abrahams (Regina Spektor, Belle and Sebastian, Paul Simon, Pulp, David Byrne, Brian Eno).

With her recent self-investigative material Sarah Walk explores themes of vulnerability, toxic relationships and entitlement within structural patriarchy. "Nothing Compares 2 U" then, one of the most famous love songs of all time, is given the opportunity to exist in a slightly different context, examined by an artist who isn't afraid to question outdated romantic themes.

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