FEATURE: keltiey Films Debut Music Video for “Need”
IN JULY OF 2022, GENRE-BENDING ARTIST — keltiey was catapulted to success when she released her debut track, “Need,” from the comfort of her bedroom. “I saw a few people doing the Jersey-type beats so I decided I was gonna try that genre,” she explained. “I just looked up Jersey beats and then I found the beat on YouTube. And I made the song.”
Overnight, the track took off. Keltiey remembers waking up to 100k likes the next morning. From there, the numbers kept climbing. She admits she didn’t expect to see people following her music so quickly, especially since the initial recording and selection of the beat felt pretty spontaneous.
What she snagged off YouTube was made by two producers, one of whom was under the legal age to sign off any rights to the sample. As a result, she was given the opportunity to rethink some of the song’s components and re-release shortly after. She explained that the whole process gave her more room to evolve its rhythm to something that better matched her original vision and could cement her introduction to an already impressive fan base, which had formed from the original draft.
Once she was connected with skaiwater, a hip-hop producer signed with Cinematic Music Group, things finally started to sound how keltiey wanted. skaiwater was able to remake the beat from scratch and keltiey re-recorded her vocals to create a sound she feels is much better than the first draft. In her words, “a little deeper and less pitchy.” Once the song was back up, the streams shot up again and the sound went viral on TikTok. “Need” has returned to keltiey’s profile and has over 14 million streams worldwide.
With such quick success, keltiey was eager to head from Houston to NYC to partner with artists and shoot a video, which is where Luna got to chat with the singer and watch some BTS at a studio in Brooklyn.
When I sat down with her, she had just come from the first half of her shoot, where she collaborated with vintage stylist Emma Rogue to film and pick out some looks from her store. They were paired together after keltiey laid out the vision she had for her “Need” video, which fell in perfect step with the cyber 2000s style Rogue is known for.
When I asked keltiey what inspired her Y2K aesthetic, she told her mom to cover her ears before offering her answer: Christina Aguilera’s “Dirty” video.
Though the vibe of the track and the video’s style evokes a lot of playfulness, keltiey wants to be sure fans don’t let any preconceptions about Jersey club music distract from the seriousness of the song’s message. When I asked her what she wanted listeners to take away from “Need,” keltiey was ready to articulate the themes of self-love, confidence, and independence that she embodied in the face of her first heartbreak and translated to the track.
“Everything that I make has a message, and it actually means something,” she explained. “It's not just me saying a bunch of jibber-jabber. It has a really strong message: Don't let nobody mess with you. Choose your peace. Protect it.”
She’s held true to this mantra with her latest track, “dumiri,” which boasts more of the artist’s vocal talent. It’s a song that moves much closer to the pop genre, mixing some of the original Jersey fast beats that were given a lot of emphasis in her debut single, yet departing slightly from her first track’s style by letting keltiey’s lyrics take center stage.
As a new artist, she’s unafraid to keep experimenting with her style in upcoming releases. When asked how she saw her style evolving, she teased that she already has a rock track recorded on her phone. She explained that she hopes to place more emphasis on growth in her art, rather than remaining loyal to a specific genre. “I already have like a bunch of stuff in the vault that are way different than ‘Need’ that I even think are better,” she laughed.
After our interview, I was able to watch the recording of the “Need” video. Watching her in front of the camera, I easily saw how the pop artist went from making songs off her iPhone to collaborating on music videos in just a few months. She undoubtedly has a commanding presence, both on her own and with the video’s cameo star, makeup and fashion influencer Laylo.
When asked to improv different dancing scenes or mime conversations, keltiey didn’t hesitate to jump right into character. It was a confidence that was so effortless it became contagious, leading her co-star to naturally fall in step.
Sitting in the back with her mom, I watched in complete awe at how well the music “rookie” was handling direction, making the whole process seem like the most natural thing in the world.
When I joked that I wouldn’t know what to do up there, her mom shook her head and kept watching her daughter lip-sync a song that, up until a few months ago, they never could have imagined would bring keltiey halfway across the country.
“Some people just got it,” her mom said.
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