Country-pop singer Tara Kelly’s latest single “The River”, for which she recently unveiled the video, is not only one of her best and strongest releases to date, but also a break-up anthem that deserves to be blasted at full volume. PopWrapped caught up with Tara to find out more about the song, which three records she’d take to a deserted island and what else she has in store for fans in 2021.

What’s the inspiration behind your single “The River?”

“The River” was written from a deeply personal experience. I was dating someone who led me to believe he was falling for me in a very elusive way. His energy was alluring but I always felt like something was out of reach with him – like I could never fully see where he was taking me, or how deep I would be led into his waters, so to speak. I just knew I wanted to keep going, despite the risk it posed. Turned out – like most things – that my intuition was right – he was already married and I was completely blindsided. Definitely couldn’t ignore the truth when it was finally staring me in the face.

When I walked into the session that day, I already had the title “The River” as a general concept, but wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do with it. I told my co-writers that story and they lit up. Stefan PVDS said “put that pain into this song” and we did.

How did you come up with the visual concept for the video?

The song is filled with river and nature metaphors, but I didn’t want to take that too literally in the video. I came to the director, Justin Keanu, with the concept of sensual, southern imagery that you might find in an episode of True Detective or True Blood. I wanted to paint a world with the song, the camera, and the editing where the viewer could feel how quickly love rises and falls, and all of the memories that are so hard to get out of your mind when it ends.

The car shots in the rain were an idea from the director to mirror the thunder sounds at the end of the recording, but we were shooting in LA where it notoriously never rains. Our friend and YouTuber, Louis Cole, helped us by standing on an apple box and holding a garden hose over the car. It legitimately felt like a torrential downpour on the windows.

Your sound is definitely a perfect blend of country/folk and pop; was that always the sound you wanted to create?

Why thank you! I appreciate when my fans and co-writers really connect with the genre blend because it’s exactly the sound I’ve always wanted to create. I’m deeply inspired by traditional folk, country, and blues – where the guitar can take your soul to another place. But as a ‘90s kid, the tenants of pop are in my DNA. I’m a firm believer that the songs that really resonate with people – even songs that aren’t traditionally thought of as ‘pop music’ from the ‘70s rock era or ‘90s alternative wave – have their roots in the genre.

We know you’re a fan of Kacey Musgraves, so which one of her songs would you perform with her if you could?

Kacey is my spirit human. I’d love to perform “Oh, What A World” with her. There aren’t any high harmonies on the song right now, so if we performed it live, we could mimic the sound of the vocoder that book-ends the recorded track in a really pretty way.

Which three records would you take with you on a deserted island?

Records that I know I’d never get sick of a single song on them: Chaos And The Calm – James Bay, Rumours – Fleetwood Mac and Continuum – John Mayer.

Finally, what else do you have planned for 2021?

More music! I’ve got a fun, new song coming that I’m very excited for the fans to hear. We’ve also got a live streamed fundraiser and virtual tour in the works with a few of my friends across multiple genres of music. Stay tuned.

Check out the video for “The River” below and for more information on Tara Kelly, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.