The South Floridian rising star explores the incendiary power of love in her cinematic snow-laden visuals.
Inspired by sweeping female powerhouses such as Lana Del Rey, Solange and London Grammar, Kendra Erika is the South Floridian artist making waves with her own brand of emotionally-charged pop – and her latest single, “Avalanche”, is no exception.
Exploring the incendiary power of love, melancholic piano chords open the track before the haunting vocals of the classical and jazz-trained singer cut through the melody, showcasing the breadth of her range. And the lyrics deftly play on nature’s similitude to the impact of a lover, in all its healing, destructive, uplifting and transformative ways.
And the music video is a powerful snow-laden landscape where the elements have taken a hold of the singer’s surroundings. Expect ice pianos and mansion blizzards abound.
“The creative team Tolga Katas brought in to join forces with me to make the video match the visual intent Mangold and I were aiming to achieve, was incredible to work with,” explained Erika on the music video. “Everyone was cool, calm, and collected, and was able to put their egos aside and laugh and talk candidly on set. That is very important when collaborating in general. That way we were able to make everything happen organically and within good spirits. The ice piano was definitely one for the books, and the staple shot for sure. It only legitimises the process of how the song was written, by a piano. The many other shots with the snow creates the winter wonderland effect, and the solo shots of me just merely singing the song in solitude caters to that emotional and reflective state of the overall performance. And, yes, I did indeed freeze my ass off while sitting and touching the ice piano. ”
“Avalanche” follows from Erika’s recent single “So Fly,” and marks the second taste of Erika’s highly-anticipated forthcoming album. A voting member of the Grammy Recording Academy, the up-and-comer has also opened for household name acts including Jason Derulo. It’s looking to be a big year for Kendra Erika indeed.
