Behind "We Don't Talk Anymore" - Charlie Puth Cover

Download the song: https://chelseyjoy.bandcamp.com/track/we-dont-talk-anymore-single

The Music Video

I've had this song on my mind for a couple of months. It seemed like the right time to do it. What really gives this track its sound is the piano layering and delay that was added to it. My favorite. :) 

My friend John Cave from Blooming Studios was kind enough to come film this last minute. He did an excellent job, and worked really hard to get every shot looking perfect. He is a really good person and great friend. AND he's a talented artist: https://www.instagram.com/tevamana.art/

I took a stab at editing this time, and it took me over 30 hours to compile the clips. I have edited many other videos in the past, but never for one of my professional recordings. John helped me learn the new editing program I was using.

You'll see in one of the pictures below that I wasn't really sure how to go about organizing all of the video clips in the most efficient way, so I created tons of layers to line everything up with the audio track. It stressed John out. Haha. It worked for me in the end. Unfortunately my computer is too slow to do any significant color grading or color correction without major lag. Still, I think it turned out beautifully. 

Behind "Heathens" - Twenty One Pilots Cover

Download this track: https://chelseyjoy.bandcamp.com/track/heathens-single

The Music Video

A few friends and I took a trip down to one of my favorite locations to film the video for my piano and electronic cover of "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots. This awesome abandoned house is located in Thistle, Utah. I've filmed two previous music videos here, "Breath and Dust" and "Heaven Rain." It's been interesting to see how the graffiti and house have changed over the years. It's a shame that people frequently go there and destroy a little bit every time. One day I'll take a trip up there and there will be nothing left. :( 

Before we filmed this video I was already convinced that this location was haunted. However, a couple of interesting things happened to reaffirm this belief:

While Preston Lange, the videographer, (he filmed my Linkin Park cover last month) was filming the camera would automatically go in and out of focus without any cause. And, when he was using his glide to steady the camera for a smooth shot, for some reason it would keep going off balance, not a little, but a lot. The readings said that everything should have been balanced. I think some spirits were having fun with us. 

I appreciate my friends, Elizabeth, Emily, and Lisa, who all took the day to help me with this shoot. Originally we had planned to have at least ten people be there so it had more of a rave / party vibe, but unfortunately, most cancelled last minute. 

Back at the beginning of September I was watching one of my YouTube Subscriptions, Simply Three, play their version of this song. I was really digging it and immediately went down to my studio to arrange my own. At the time I was trying to arrange a couple of other songs to release in October, but both had hit mental blocks. Fortunately this one flew once I got it started. 

I decided that the nature of the song would make it a great release for the month of October. Though we filmed it in the middle of the month, I didn't get completed video back until the day of Halloween. My goal is to release a new music video monthly, and I had to release it then, or else I would have skipped October completely. In a way it turned out kind of perfect.

The keyboard for this video is unique. I disassembled an old one and made a smaller, more Frankenstein-esque version. Check out how I did it here:

                               

LDS Hymns by Key Signature

The following is a list of all 341 hymns found in the English Hymn Book for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are listed according to key signature to help those that are learning piano select hymns for their skill level.

If you would like the a PDF version emailed to you, please contact me at chelseyjoymusic@gmail.com.

Behind "Linkin Park Medley" - Linkin Park Cover

Download this track for free: https://chelseyjoy.bandcamp.com/track/linkin-park-medley

The Music Video

Behind the Scenes Video

The music of Linkin Park is nostalgic for me. I've always admired their unique sound and style. About a month before the tragic death of Chester Bennington, lead singer of Linkin Park, I started working on an arrangement that would combine several of their songs. It wasn't until Chester's death that I felt compelled to finish it as soon as possible as to pay tribute to the music he made. 

Songs featured: 

"In the End" - Hybrid Theory (2000)

"Numb" - Meteora (2003)

"What I've Done" - Minutes to Midnight (2007)

"The Catalyst" - A Thousand Suns (2010)

"Crawling" - Hybrid Theory (2000)

"New Divide" - released as a single (2009)

This is my favorite arrangement of something that I've worked on. I enjoyed sitting at my keyboard combining melodies, and later notating the music in Finale. (Because of copyright reasons, I am not able to sell or make the sheet music widely available, but if you'd like me to  email you a PDF of the arrangement for piano I would be happy to do so. Please send an email to chelseyjoymusic@gmail.com).

Originally I wanted the scenery of the music video to pay tribute to the videos that Linkin Park made for their songs, but that became complicated quickly. I worked on re-creating the blue glass that is found in their "Crawling" video by painting sheets of plastic. I intended to hang them up in a dark room, but the paint job wasn't good enough. 

It's a little frustrating when you have a vision of something, but you're not able to accomplish it because of funds or limited resources. In a way that can be good however, because it forces you to be more creative and original.

I had an idea to film in a tunnel, but as I did my searching in the city in which I live, I wasn't able to find very many that weren't active roads. I remembered seeing one go under a road a few months previous, but it also acted as a canal for a small river that runs through a part of town. Of course we decided to shoot in there anyways. :) The water was freezing and after a while it became warm because we couldn't feel our feet anymore. It added so much movement to the shots, it was such a neat place to film.

For this video, I hired Preston Lange from BiteLight Studios to do the filming and editing for me. It was my first time working with Preston and he did such an incredible job. I'm not usually a fan of videos that merely show someone performing, but he was able to capture the playing in such a way that it kept me entertained. He went above and beyond. 

'Lullabied: The Piano Melodies'

Lullabied: The Piano Melodies (2017) is a New Age Piano Album that was inspired by the release of Chelsey Joy's first album, Lullabied (2014). Containing new arrangements of all eight tracks from the original album, Lullabied: The Piano Melodies, is a soothing and meditative work of art.  

Many of the songs were tracked by layering piano and could be compared to works by Ludovico Einaudi, Italian pianist and composer. However, the overall tone of the album is melancholy, much like the music of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds. 

Purchase:

Official Store 

iTunes

Amazon Mp3

Google Play Music

Spotify

Original Music Videos

Behind "Escape to Aberration" | Lullabied: The Piano Melodies

What is "aberration"?

ab·er·ra·tion
ˌabəˈrāSH(ə)n/

1. a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one that is unwelcome.
"they described the outbreak of violence in the area as an aberration"

synonyms:

anomaly, deviation, departure from the norm, divergence, abnormality, irregularity, variation, digression, freak, rogue, rarity, oddity, peculiarity, curiosity, quirk;

2. mistake

"a statistical aberration"

3. a characteristic that deviates from the normal type.
"color aberrations"

synonyms:

anomaly, deviation, departure from the norm, divergence, abnormality, irregularity, variation, digression, freak, rogue, rarity, oddity, peculiarity, curiosity, quirk;

If you listen to the first version of this song which is found here on my album Lullabied, you will notice it is incredibly scattered and disorganized. It was my least favorite song on the last album, but with this new version, it has become my favorite. 

As some of you know, I suffer from Bipolar Disorder. As part of this mental condition sometimes I have episodes of psychosis. During psychosis it is almost as if one is watching the world from a different reality. Some actually do describe it as "losing touch with reality." Fortunately I have not experienced a horrible episode for years, but when I did I often found it as sort of an escape. It was not until after I came to my senses though did I realize how far gone I had been.

This song embraces those times when one, without realizing it, has escaped from reality. It is for those that are trapped in their minds.

If you suffer from a mental condition I urge you to seek out the help of a medical professional. There are many tools out there for us. Some will work better for others. Feeling better is worth the struggle and time it takes to find the right type healing.

The Music Video

Photos

Behind "I Stand All Amazed" - LDS Hymn Arrangement

This is a song that I have wanted to arrange for years. Out of all the standard LDS Hymns, this one is my favorite. During my missionary service in a Spanish ward, they often sang it.

At the beginning of the song I used crystal glasses. They were meant to be played in the video, but the concept behind the video quickly changed as Easter approached. I wanted the visuals to be centered around Jesus Christ.

Many typically celebrate easter with dyed eggs and plastic eggs with chocolates inside. I wanted to take that idea and show Christ giving out the eggs as gifts, with his thoughts about us written on paper inside of the egg.

Enjoy.

Music Video

The Recording Process

Photos

Behind "Here Comes Destiny" | Lullabied: The Piano Melodies

My ideal shoot would have been to be in the forest, but from experience I've learned that moving a piano is incredibly difficult. I opted for branches inside my garage. As I was driving through a neighborhood, I saw a woman cutting down a ton of branches from a tree that had gotten knocked over in a storm. She was happy to contribute. 

Unfortunately a lot of the background stuff wasn't put into the final video. Still think it turned out cool though. 

One of the best parts about the videography is the way that James used manual focus throughout. 

The Music Video

Photos

New Piano Album!

Last week I made an exciting announcement via Facebook Live: I am working on a new album! 

As many of you know, my previous album, Lullabied (2014), incorporated vocals, acoustic drums, electronic drums, violin, cello, and ambient sounds. After its release, a friend approached me and expressed that she wished the songs had been mostly piano, as it a genre that she loves. 

Over the years I have thought about this remark. Had I limited myself to one instrument, the resulting album would have taken on a different tone. At the time though, that was not right for me and my self-expression. 

I have also had others tell me that Lullabied is their go-to for help sleeping! I personally don't find some of the songs that soothing. I've always meant "Lullabied" to be taken in a symbolic way. But if it helps summon the occasional elusive sleep, then I am glad. 

I've pondered on this feedback and after some recent events in my life, I felt like it was the right time to put together a new version of Lullabied. 

This experience has been interesting, as it has allowed me to revisit my older compositions and think of them in a new light. This new album is a piano hybrid. It has the soothing melodies from the first, but also new ones. The songs are the generally the same, though at this point I'm not sure if they will be in the same order. They are completely new arrangements and not measure-for-measure. However, they still invoke a feeling of melancholia with elements of hope. 

For those of you that enjoy piano music, sleeping, or both. This was made for you. 

Please don't take "piano and sleep-inducing" for "boring." I am absolutely in love with the way it is turning out. Do I dare say that I enjoy it more than the first album? Yes. It is interesting enough to still catch my attention, but calming enough for background music. 

Think of it as Lullabied 2.0, but you're definitely not getting the same album again. Certainly not.

It is almost complete, with only mastering and album art to be done. The release date is still unknown, but we are aiming for before July 2017. 

I am thrilled to be introducing this new work to you. In the meantime, you can listen to the first version here. :)