Ben Kessler's "Known Like This" Is a Gentle Reminder to Remember Who You Really Are [Premiere]
We've all, at one time or another, found ourselves hung up on the thought of others' perception of us. Rising talent Ben Kessler is making us think about just that with the video for his second single, "Known Like This." After building an in-home studio at 14 and growing his artist identity in Nashville, Kessler's ready to take on the world with his tender guitar riffs and upbeat synth-backed music.
"Known Like This" is Kessler's picture-perfect breakthrough into the pop R&B world. From the gentle metronomic moments, the jingling of car keys, to the sweet choral echoes that bookend the chorus, the track is filled with carefully placed musical trinkets.
The song's got a very trendy video treatment shot by Luke Harvey of Mossflower Pictures. Each moving scene is "scrapbooked" on top of one another. In a way, they build like a living collage. The Philly-born musician is shown in his "natural" habitat, hanging upside down on a fence, eating a peach on the front porch. Everything about this video speaks to the song's theme of self-identity. What kind of impression do we want to leave on people? With this, Kessler dances with the idea of what's natural versus contrived. Kessler gave us some insight into the song and video, sharing,
"We didn't shoot with a storyboard; the idea was that we'd capture what came naturally, and that would be the most honest reflection of how I want to be known. While recording, we realized that it is difficult to capture the essence of a person in a singular moment, feeling, outfit, or facial expression. And it’s a paradox to try to act naturally. The finished video is a sort of amalgamation of shots - some happy, some confused, some anxious, some light-hearted, some serious. I guess the answer to “how I want to be known” isn’t just one thing."
Watch the video for "Known Like This" below and ask yourself, how do you want to be remembered?
