Watch Sufjan Stevens’ Video for New Track “Video Game”

Sufjan Stevens has shared the newest single from his new album The Ascension. This one’s known as “Video Game.” It arrives with the beneath Nicole Ginelli-directed video starring and choreographed by Jalaiah Harmon (creator of the viral “Renegade” dance). Stevens mentioned of the music and video in a press release:

It’s unlucky that we reside in a society the place the worth of individuals is quantified by likes, followers, listeners and views. So many individuals are in search of consideration for the improper causes. I feel we must always all be doing our greatest work with out on the lookout for accolades or in search of reward.

The principle takeaway of ‘Video Game’ for me is: your value (invaluable) ought to by no means be primarily based on different folks’s approval (ephemeral). Simply be your self. Preserve it actual. Preserve it shifting. Do all issues with absolute purity, love and pleasure. And at all times do your finest.

Jalaiah epitomizes all of this and I’m really impressed by her. So I believed, ‘what if we could get Jalaiah to star in a “dance video” about not wanting to star in a “dance video?”’  I’m so honored she agreed. She clearly owns it, and her work right here is gorgeous, poignant and true.

“This was my first time being asked to create choreo for a whole song,” Harmon mentioned in a press release. “So I was a little nervous in the beginning, but once I really broke the song into parts and listened to the lyrics over and over, I just put moves together that connected to the words and felt natural for me to do. I think I’m still really trying to get used to this kind of success, so I can’t really define it just yet. I just know that when you work hard and you treat others with kindness and fairness, good things come back to you.”

The singer-songwriter’s new album is out September 25 through Asthmatic Kitty. The follow-up to 2015’s Carrie & Lowell options the beforehand shared 12-minute single “America.” He just lately launched that single’s non-album B-side “My Rajneesh,” a music about Wild Wild Nation topic and founding father of the Rajneesh motion, Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh.

Learn “Tracking Sufjan Stevens’ Fascination with Outer Space” on the Pitch.