Donna Missal performs intimate versions of four songs from her new album, Lighter (Harvest Records), in the “Bedroom Sessions” videos – a quartet of self-directed videos. After giving fans a first look at the “Bedroom Sessions” for “Slow Motion,” “Bloom,” “Who Loves You” and “Carefully” on Instagram, all four videos are now available for viewing on YouTube HERE.
The videos were shot in the bedroom of Donna’s Los Angeles home, with the exception of “Slow Motion,” which was lensed in the backyard of her childhood home in New Jersey.
“These videos were made by taking new instrumental interpretations of songs from Lighter and performing to them live,” says Donna Missal. “I made projections using footage captured throughout the process of creating Lighter and cast them over myself to be immersed in them. I recorded the performances live by capturing audio and visual at the same time, using a laptop camera and my recording set up, thrown about my bed or the floor.”
Releasing an album in the midst of lockdown gave Donna the inspiration for “Bedroom Sessions.” She explains, “I wanted this series to represent live performance in a way that is shaped by the environment, to bring live performing into an intimate space, using digital mediums to create and share. From the shifting paradigm for the way artists connect to listeners, along with the inability to tour an album live, we’re all trying to fill the void – connect, and create. ‘Bedroom Sessions’ is a take on the challenge of staying close to others through music, even from far away.”
While “Slow Motion” appears as a moving piano ballad on the album, Donna casts the song with swelling stings on the powerful “Bedroom Sessions” version. An ode to letting go, “Slow Motion” takes on fresh meaning when sung from her childhood home. Seated on the grass where she played as a child, Donna wears a sequined gown, mic in hand, juxtaposing her past with the present. View the “Bedroom Sessions” version of “Slow Motion” HERE and check out the original track HERE.