Hallie Duesenberg

Music

exclusive: krystal metcalfe pays tribute to rock & soul pioneers in “fearless”

April 17, 2019
108 Picks

“You can’t be fearless without fear” is one of those hooks we all actually need to get stuck in our heads a little more. Chicago singer Krystal Metcalfe drapes her soaring voice in heavy guitars and bright horns on her latest single “Fearless.” There’s a kind of balancing act tempering the uplift of the chorus that makes this cut something special, a reminder that without acknowledging and giving name to our fears, we can never overcome them.

The song’s video, directed by Addison Wright and Krystal Metcalfe (her directorial debut, no less), packs some serious visual punch. The minimalist white room that serves as the band’s backdrop explodes with a truly inspired costume design and dynamic performances.

Metcalfe says the visuals were driven by a desire “to show strong images that represent the dynamic history of all the FEARLESS pioneers that have come before me. I was inspired by the fierceness inside the God-Mother of Rock-n-Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe & Chaka Khan. We, as a people, come from Kings and Queens. Our contributions to art, music, and society as a whole can never be erased. This is why we must know who we are and own all that we can be. Unapologetically. FEARLESSly.”

Related