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Ahead of sharing the visuals for her new single, ‘Chasing Tornadoes’, fast-emerging country prodigy MacKenzie Porter has revealed the concept and story behind the tempestuous music video.
The new track is set to appear on Porter’s upcoming debut album under Big Loud Records, with the project due to capture the Canadian singer-songwriter's combination of pop-infused hooks and intricate lyricism (“'Cause baby I'm a sidewinder / Storm rider / I'm going down like a telephone wire / You're a mustang runaway”).
‘Chasing Tornadoes’ spins uncontrollably around a stormy, passionate relationship, with MacKenzie Porter utilising a range of colourful, weather-themed imagery to highlight the violent ebbs and flows between romance and conflict.
The ‘Chasing Tornadoes’ music video adds another cinematic layer to the story, with the Justin Clough-directed visuals following MacKenzie Porter and her partner-in-crime - quite literally - as they go off on their various adventures through the dazzling lights of Las Vegas and the sprawling expanse of the Nevada desert.
Speaking to Holler ahead of the video's release, which premieres today at 5pm CT, MacKenzie Porter outlined the inspiration behind the new visuals, outlining, “The music video for 'Chasing Tornadoes' takes place in Las Vegas. Because the song is about a dangerous, hot and cold relationship, Vegas and its energy felt so fitting. We started out in the desert for the performance shots and ended up in old Vegas by the end of the night. I feel like we really told the story of a super passionate, yet slightly unhealthy relationship”.
The ‘Chasing Tornadoes’ director, Justin Clough, emphasised the ease with which the project had come together, with the help of Porter's on-screen dynamism and behind-the-scenes dedication, “MacKenzie is an absolute pro and an incredible artist to work with. This song spurred a lot of ideas naturally just because of its subject matter and lyrics, and we had a blast bringing it to life in Vegas”.
With the music video soon to be released into the world, Clough added, “I'm excited to see what people think about it, and as always so proud to be part of MacKenzie's creative team”.
In the ‘Chasing Tornadoes’ video, the tumultuous storyline is mirrored by the turbulence of the visuals, with various clips of Porter in the desert being pursued by her lover on a motorcycle being interspersed with shots of the couple stealing jewellry from a hotel room.
Porter underlined that the wild nature of the shots was intentional, “I wanted it to be cut super fast to feel slightly hectic. I think we really captured the essence of a toxic relationship that you keep coming back to… even if you know it might break your heart”.
As well as readying her eagerly awaited first full-length record with Big Loud, MacKenzie Porter is also gearing up to battle it out with her fellow artists for the Music Event of the Year Award at the 2023 ACMs, which are set to take place in Texas on May 11.
Porter is nominated in the category alongside Dustin Lynch for their much-loved collaboration, ‘Thinking ‘Bout You’, which recently became the longest-running Top Ten single in the history of Billboard's prestigious Country Airplay chart.
With an array of high-profile festival appearances also in store, it's safe to say 2023 is shaping up to be a blockbuster year for MacKenzie Porter. The release of the new ‘Chasing Tornadoes’ video ensures the wind is very much still in her sails as she storms into the summer.
For more on MacKenzie Porter, see below:
