Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Ann Wilson of Heart, released a beautiful song paired with an elegant music video called “Tender Heart.” The music video features American Olympic figure skater, Gracie Gold and choreography by Nina Petrenko. Here is a look at the story behind the song and video.
What is the story behind the music video and how did it come to life?
Tender Heart is a passionate, emotional song of love and heartbreak. I wanted the song represented on video by dance, but a different kind of dance. Gracie was brought to my attention as an up and comer with incredible talent and potential. Luckily, she agreed to skate for us and liked the song! After some consultation I basically said to her, “do what you feel.” The result was an ice dance of deep feeling, elegance and power. Perfection!
How did you come to work with Gracie and her choreographer?
My manager knew someone who knew Gracie and we were thrilled when she agreed to do it. It didn’t take much talk for Gracie and her choreographer to understand what we were looking for; the beauty of her movement, strength and control bringing the lyrics to life in dance. Poetry in motion.
What was your inspiration for the song?
Everyone has had a heartbreak at least once in their life. The song is about the moment the truth comes home and you realize that you have been living in a dream; a dream that shatters like glass in the face of reality.
As a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, do you have any advice for our young readers with big dreams?
I’d say the most important thing to remember is to be yourself. Be real. Be authentic. No career success is important enough in the big picture to make deals with the devil. They’ll break your heart in the end.
Be honest.
Work hard.
Don’t give up.
Thank you, Ann, for your words of advice and a peek into your creative process. Find “Tender Heart” and Ann Wilson on Spotify, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter. Make sure to tune into the beginning of the 2021 NFL Draft programming on Thursday evening, April 29th to catch Ann sing the National Anthem.
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