Newcastle singer creates campaign to raise money for ‘special project’

Newcastle singer Holly Rees is currently looking for support from the North East as she is set to make a brand-new music video.

Holly shared an image on her Instagram page, of the artwork for her track Careless which is due to be released as her next single.

She explained on the post that she is currently looking to fundraise to help bring her music video to life. The singer and her band have launched a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise £2,100 in just two weeks.

The money raised will be used to pay the actors and BSL interpreter a fair and living wage, as well as going towards covering venue costs to ensure they can make an amazing music video.

Careless is a song which explores the way people talk to and about each other and the power that holds. Holly’s usual music videos are created on a low-budget, in a completely DIY format.

However, due to how special this song is to Holly, she wants to give it the full treatment, including a director, actors, BSL interpreter and more.

Will Grint, who has an incredible CV of acting in theatre productions, TV shows and short films has signed on for the project. The actor won the Best Actor award at Clin D’Oeil International Festival for Deaf Culture in 2013.

Holly said: “The support we’ve received already means the world to me! It’s the first time we’ve ever tried to make a video on this scale, working with actors and a director and that’s so exciting but also means it’s really important to me that we do it right, pay the actors and BSL interpreter properly, pay the venue hire, and meet the access needs of the whole team, which is where the crowdfunder comes in.

“Being able to make the video would be amazing, to have a really gorgeous, diverse, exciting music video for what is a special song to me. It’s a song about communication, both in personal relationships and on a wider political scale, and being able to do it justice with a music video like this would just be amazing, and hopefully help us reach the next level as an artist.”

She continued: “We’ve got a long way to go and because of the way the crowdfunding works, it’s all or nothing so if we don’t hit our target we won’t receive any of the funding, so it’s a bit scary but we’re excited! We love the project, and really believe in it, so hopefully people will get behind us and we’ll hit the target. We’ve made some really lush rewards too - new t-shirts, a limited run CD, and some bigger daft ones like going for mini golf with the band or one of my original oil paintings!”

So far, the Kicktstarter campaign has raised £116, with the help of five people. To donate, please visit the Kickstarter website.