I was combing through various videos, trying to think of another one I could highlight for these last couple of days before Halloween. There's so many options to choose from that it makes me feel bad that I didn't decide to feature creepy or dark videos earlier in the month. There were some other, more Halloween-y videos I could have gone with, but this one popped up in my suggested videos on YouTube. I'd forgotten this video and thought it'd be a great choice.
The song is "Stitches", originally by Shawn Mendes. This version is performed by the incredible Evynne Hollens. As I've said, Evynne has become one of my favorite female singers. She might even be my absolute favorite. She has such a beautiful voice and an ability to make it do whatever it needs to do to suit whatever song she's singing at the time. Listening to Evynne singing is always a treat. On top of that, she's a wonderful performer who always makes you really feel the lyrics. This song features the very talented Nathan Alef on piano and he did the arrangement as well. What a great job he did! Nathan actually has his own YouTube channel where he has a solo piano version of "Stitches" that's just beautiful. You can watch that here. I always enjoy listening to him play. Especially since he plays with feeling, which I always appreciate. Definitely go watch out his version.
If you've never heard "Stitches", it's yet another story of a love gone terribly wrong. It's about someone who has fallen in love with the wrong person. To say the least. A person who has hurt the narrator more than any other person ever has, leaving them struggling to piece themselves back together. Leaving them in need of stitches. It's an interesting lyric and I really liked Evynne and Nathan's creepy take on it. It starts off innocently enough and then, well, you'll see.
Evynne's lovely voice and Nathan's beautiful piano playing aside, I love the way they used light and color, or the lack thereof, in this video. First, with the two of them dark against the white background. The shadows. That first shot of Evynne's full face, so dark that you can't really make out her features. But with half of her hair all crazy looking. It's such a striking shot to me. Then the way it goes all black for a moment before switching to the black background for the bridge, showing the other dead sides of their faces in shadows. The way it kind of goes back and forth between the two sides at the end. The times when you can see both sides of her on either side of the picture. That final shot where you finally see her entire face, but still in shadow. It's so haunting and creepy and so appropriate for the lyrics. I love that they didn't go overboard with it because I think that would've ruined it. It was creepy in a more subtle way which I actually find more unsettling, especially given the lack of color.
I don't usually do this because I don't like to compare and would generally rather focus on the version I'm writing about. But watching this again made me curious about the original, which I'd never heard. So I looked up the official music video by Shawn Mendes. I like both versions and think that both videos are interesting in their own ways. What struck me is what a difference going from the full band of the original to the piano of Evynne's cover. Both effective, but so different. Shawn's version has a groove to it that actually feels good, which is always interesting when paired with this kind of lyric. Whereas the piano plays up the emotion of the lyric which is further increased by Evynne's evocative vocal. I'll be honest and admit that I prefer her version, but I do genuinely like both.
I mention it because it reminded me once again of what a difference an arrangement can make. What happens when a song is arranged by different people. The way it can change. It also made me think of how there are those who act as if they need to hate the original because they love the cover. That is, of course, utter nonsense. In fairness, I haven't really seen this in Evynne's fanbase, but I think it's good to have a respect for the original. You can prefer the cover. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In some cases, you might genuinely dislike the original and that's fine too. What I'm saying is to keep in mind that the only reason you have this cover that you love is because of the original. Respect that.
Meanwhile, to get back to Evynne's performance, I mentioned that she has a way of making her voice suit whatever she's singing. What's great about that is that she always knows when she go full on belt and when not to. It's always the right amount of belt to me. This cover showcases her voice so beautifully. Made better by the piano and the video itself. It's always fun seeing what her and Nathan come up with next.
With that said, her newest cover went up yesterday (the 28th). It's her take on "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella, done more like a lullaby and it's just lovely. Quite a contrast from this one! It's such a sweet video that includes her adorable son, Ashland, and I highly recommend checking it out. You can find it here.
And you can keep up with Evynne at the following links:
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