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Kayla Adams – Montana Real

Local country singer shoots music video in Whitefish

By Xavier Flory

Kalispell native and country singer Kayla Adams was back in Flathead Valley last week to record the music video for her hit single, “Sober & Sorry.” The shooting took place over two days, at Casey’s in Whitefish, which the owner made available for the day free of charge, and at a farm right outside of town.

Kayla grew up in Kalispell and so coming back to Montana to shoot her first video was a no-brainer. “It’s the first a lot of people will see of me … and it’s where I grew up. This is me.”

Certainly at Casey’s, it seemed as much a community celebration as a music video shoot. Over 40 locals, friends and family members volunteered to be extras in the video, and they cheered raucously every time the song was played over the loudspeakers.

Although it would have been easier to shoot in Nashville, Kayla insisted that the video should be set in Montana, and Dean Scallan, the producer of the song, agreed despite the logistical difficulties.  “It’s just such a big part of who she is,” he said.

Yarrow Kraner, the director of the video who himself is based in Montana, added, “Kayla is a girl who at first just looks like a beautiful blonde, but she’s a badass, a Montana girl.”

The song itself shows off the fiery elements in Kayla’s personality. “I’m tired of waiting by the phone / Gonna have a little party of my own / You’ll wake up sober and sorry / Start a fire, bring the hurt / Pile it up, watch it burn.” It’s a “revenge-y song, a girl power song. Boys, be scared!” she says before launching into the first take of her video.

Scallan describes the theme of the video as “gritty meets pretty,” and on stage, with her glittering guitar and wavy hair, vapor all around her and a baying crowd beneath her, Kayla looks like she might just burn the stage up.

As with all of her songs, Kayla drew the inspiration for “Sober & Sorry” from personal experience. “I dated this guy, who would just disappear for the weekend, and then text ‘sorry’ on Monday. It made me so mad.” Her songs start off as the need to convey an emotion or experience, and then she works on the lyrics and melody concurrently. “If I don’t have the idea, I don’t even know what key to write in.”

No matter how far she goes, Kayla wants to stay true to herself and to her sound. On the return leg of a three-month tour, she wrote “Montana Bound,” a song about coming home.  The state remains central to her identity, and this new video by Virgin Produced is a way for her to introduce herself and her hometown to the world.

Once it’s released at the end of the summer, Kayla Adams’ “Sober & Sorry” music video will be available locally and featured on Virgin flights all over the globe.