Playlist: Kayla Monetta

What’s the best music video you’ve seen recently and why?

A friend of mine recently told me to check out Jess Williamson - Time Ain’t Accidental and I’ve been watching the video every day for the past week. The video was shot in one take on a road outside of Marfa, Texas in the middle of a storm. 

It’s a super simple video with Williamson singing to the camera, but it’s beautifully shot and captures lightning at eerily appropriate points of the song’s lyrics. Really proves that a great song can be showcased even more by a simple video.

What’s the first music video you remember being impressed by?

Oh man, I have so many… It would probably have to be the video by Madonna - Frozen, directed by Chris Cunningham. I was obsessed with this album growing up (and it’s still the only CD that I play religiously in my car).

 I remember watching this video as a kid and trying to re-enact Madonna using a blanket over my head dancing around my living room. This whole album is iconic but this song and video are at the top of my list.

And what’s your all-time favourite music video?

Hands down it is Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar directed by Michel Gondry. Another simple video, made to look like a continuous shot of a train ride (but actually edited to sync up perfectly with the music). 

It’s a music video that captures the feeling of seeing your life like a movie, the greatest music supervision gig of all.

What other directors/artists do you look to for inspiration?

The list goes on, but I really love the composer Emile Mosseri’s work. I think his scoring is beautiful and he really understands pairing sound to picture in a modern and interesting way.

The score for Kajillionaire has been on repeat for three years in my house.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Heavily listening to Woo right now, which happens every time the sun comes out for the past few years of my life. I’ve also been playing Margo Guryan’s album Take A Picture on repeat as well. I listen to a lot of scores, and lately I am obsessed with composer Luiz Bonfá and his wife Maria Toledo’s album, Braziliana.

What’s your favourite bit of tech, whether for professional or personal use? 

YouTube for music discovery… there are so many rare gems on there that don’t exist on streaming platforms. It’s the 2023 version of crate digging.

What artist(s) would you most like to work with and why? 

Miranda July. I am jealous of her brain.