Singer-Songwriter Kendall Amon wears the colors of Pop Music proudly, but also loosely. She’s an intrepid songwriter with a penchant for introspective lyricism, joyfully clever wordplay, and a huge degree of emotional honesty that you mostly see flourishing this brightly in the alt-folk scene. She wears the rather peculiar badge of Singer-Songwriter much more prominently in a way.
“I never really knew that pursuing a career in music meant that you had to be a famous pop star. I thought in my head, I don’t know if that’s what I want. It seemed like a really tough life. I didn’t really know that being a songwriter or singer-songwriter was an option
Her qualities as a songwriter landed her a prominent position in Brian J. Roberts’ film 10 Truths About Love, where 5 of her songs were chosen to help the narrative along, effectively becoming the “voice of the film” according to Roberts.
Kendall’s newest song is entitled “Pity Party” and it was written during the fallout period of a breakup –as described by Amon Herself: “I wrote “Pity Party” in the aftermath of another failed relationship. Here I was, sitting there, feeling bad for myself and running through all the moments that could have led to this. And I came to the conclusion that I am the common denominator of all my failed relationships” Kendall further elaborates that this difficult-yet-necessary revelation of course leads to a period of strong disillusion and frustration, but it ultimately signifies a positive discovery that offers an opportunity to really get to know ourselves a little better and grow as people.
We had a little talk with Kendall about the song itself, what it means to her and the way things are going with her career right now, it gets cool, check it out:
Would you say that this is the most personal song you’ve released so far?
The act of writing has always been deeply personal. Every song carries some truth or revelation about myself, which can be both thrilling and terrifying. Most of my songs are about my relationships, but Pity Party is about my relationship with myself. It’s about losing this idea you have of yourself and all the ways we tend to self-sabotage.
You said you wrote “Pity Party” after you realized you were the common denominator in all your breakups. In this context, Would you say the song was difficult to write, or did it help you reckon with your own issues instead?
I wrote Pity Party when I was going through a really brutal heartbreak. I was crying all the time and enjoyed feeling very bad for myself. And to be honest, I didn’t want to write anything about it. I didn’t want to open that door for fear I wouldn’t be able to close it. But the ideas and lyrics still came to me anyway. Sometimes unwritten songs are resilient. They demand to be brought into existence. In the end, writing Pity Party did help me come to terms with my shortcomings and the fact that I was a “flight risk” in many past relationships. Big truths can be scary, but once you face them, as I did in writing Pity Party, you can start the process of growth and healing. Once I accepted this song, it actually came to me rather seamlessly.
Please tell us a little bit about the shooting process for the music video, this is your second actual music video if I’m not mistaken.
It was so much fun shooting this music video! I’m an independent artist, so I have done music videos in the past, but this was the most elaborate video I’ve shot to date. It took over 10 hours to film, but everyone involved believed so much in the project that we had a fantastic time making it. It’s a heavy song, but we got to be kind of playful with the set design and styling, so we all had fun with it. I mean, I ended the shoot soaking in a bathtub full of glitter while wearing a floor-length gown; there’s definitely some humor and catharsis in that (however, it took over a week to get all the glitter out of my hair).
There are some very clever visual gags or metaphors in there, like that bit where there are lines of Glitter on the table. Who came up with all of these concepts?
It was a group effort to put this video together. Pity Party is a meaningful song for me, so I had a clear vision of how I wanted it to look. But my team helped me take some more abstract ideas and bring them to fruition. Some of the visuals are dark, but I think the concept as a whole can resonate with anyone who has displayed self-destructive tendencies in their life.
You said that having a Pity Party can also be a part of the healing process. why do you feel that’s the case?
As a girl in her early 20’s, I grew up with social media. I think it’s amazing in many ways, but I also feel like there is a lot of pressure always to present your “best self.” You see hundreds of videos on how to manifest a better life or become “that girl”, and I think it puts a lot of pressure on people. What happens if you listen to all those self-help social media gurus and don’t automatically feel better? Are you a failure? I think having a pity party can mean that you’re giving yourself the space to not be ok. Sometimes you need a day where you sit in bed feeling bad for yourself, watching 8 hours of Love Island UK, and eating ice cream even though you’re lactose intolerant before you can pull yourself up by your proverbial bootstraps. You’re not going to be your best self every day, and to me, giving yourself a little pity party is giving yourself some grace.
What’s the next stage of that process after the Pity Party is over?
I think of the pity party as the destruction, the fallout. It’s when you break down all the illusions you have about yourself, which is painful, and painstaking, and scary. After the pity party comes growth. It’s about rebuilding with the knowledge that you are a complex and flawed individual with the capacity to evolve continuously.
And On that same note. What’s next for Kendall Amon? are you working on an EP or album for the near future?
As an independent artist, I learn a lot with each project I work on. I have some songs in the vault that I’m excited to share in the future, and I’m always writing new songs. I’m still solidifying my voice and who I want to be as an artist. And I’m also writing with other super-talented individuals, which has helped me grow as a songwriter and artist. In the future, I’d love to put out an EP or an album, but I think, for now, I’m enjoying the exploration. I think it’s beneficial for any upcoming artist to have the freedom to explore different genres, production styles, and subject matter before they figure out what really sticks. But in the meantime, I have more songs that I love coming!
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of The Artist Story: LADYGUNN
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