Band: 9Electric
Song: “Beautiful”
Album: The Damaged Ones
Release Date: July 15th, 2017
Label: Another Century Records
Vocalist Ron Underwood comments:
“Through my lens, I watched as [Miki] purged her frustration and so much sadness. I filmed her standing face-to-face with her fears, face-to-face with her own mortality… and in the darkest parts of the shoot I was reminded of how far I’d come through my own battles with alcohol. There was so much of this production that was therapy for us both, and I was blown away by the process. We confided in each other a lot between takes and I made such an amazing friend. I’m so grateful she was a part of this.
This video isn’t just about cancer. It’s also about addiction, and it is about losing oneself. It goes to an extreme and treads through a lot of dark territory, but not just for the sake of being dark. It seems like every day we are faced with more tragedy in this world. Depression, cancer, addiction, suicide and even murder are just a small part of the battle we all face on a daily basis. We’ve all lost family, friends and heroes, nobody is left untouched, but we all pull through it together. We can gain so much insight when we hear others’ stories as they battle through the darkness. For many of us, knowing that we are not alone is what helps us focus on the light.
I hope this video prompts people going through these kinds of things to reach out to others. That’s the real purpose of art, music, or any kind of storytelling – to bring people together. When we come together, we are strong… and when we are strong, we survive.”
Actress Miki Black, who stars in the video and is a cancer survivor herself, adds:
“I have been a fan and friend of 9Electric for years, and Mikey [Lopez, guitarist], was actually my roommate throughout part of my battle with cancer. When he first approached me about the ‘Beautiful’ video, he just wanted to hear my thoughts about how ‘real’ the treatment read. I opened the email, began reading it and couldn’t even get halfway through. The content hit so close to home that I couldn’t face it… but I actually found myself feeling really comfortable about the video. Why? Because I realized that my journey ended the exact opposite as the girl in the video – but it could have ended just like hers.”
To learn more about suicide prevention, or if you are feeling depressed and are in need of help, visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. For tips on how you can join the fight against cancer and to learn more about research, visit www.cancer.gov.
Purchase:
[via Alternative Press]