“Sound of Your Heart” is a platinum single from Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Hook.
Hollywood Records and Universal Music Canada recording artist Shawn Hook has a hit single – “Sound of Your Heart” – that has been riding a wave of international success through its sensational music video, America and Canada-wide radio play and Hook’s recent U.S. performances. Last week, Hook performed the song on NBC’s “The Today Show” and on Jan. 27, he performed the single on ABC’s “Live with Kelly and Michael.”
The “Sound of Your Heart” music video is directed by Alon Isocianu and personifies the song’s magnetizing blend of intelligence, purpose and grace.
The video has swelled to more than three million YouTube views and tells a visual story of the tragic and passionate pop masterpiece.
“The music video Alon directed for “Sound Of Your Heart,” is my most successful music video to date,” said Hook. “My favorite characteristics of the music video for “Sound Of Your Heart” are the beautiful visuals and vignettes that Alon depicted throughout the video.”
The single is off of Hook’s album, “Analog Love.” It entered the top 25 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and is certified Platinum by Music Canada. After its international re-release this year by Hollywood Records, the song has ascended to Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40 chart.
As a musician, Hook has a lot of performing charisma, incredible style and most notably, is full of musical talent. This is something Isocianu wanted to capture when he filmed Hook’s music video for “Sound of Your Heart.”
The video features snow pouring down on Hook as he rocks out at his piano. His melodies are intercut with a sexual storm and an overall sense of conflict as he pours out about the woman he loves. In the end, he loses her and it’s uncertain whether she is gone forever or if this was just a powerful dream.
The award-winning Alon Isocianu directs music videos for Shawn Hook, Kelly Clarkson and more.
The video is another powerful testament to Isocianu, who is a prolific commercial and music video director. He’s directed videos for Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Finger Eleven and Meaghan Smith. In 2015, he won the East Coast Music Award for “Best Video” with Meaghan Smith’s “Have a Heart.”
His work often deals with the opposition faced by two people who are madly in love. This duality is suggested visually through popping colors and the mystical powers that physically draw people apart. In more than one of his videos, a woman can be seen falling away from the man who would do anything to hold her in his grasp. Isocianu is aware of the intensity he builds with his emotions.
“There’s a running visual ‘theme’ of sorts in my videos where things either explode into particles, or particles are raining, falling or floating about,” he said.
Hook starred opposite model Kendall Kovitz in his video for “Sound of Your Heart.” Isocianu captured on film the explosive chemistry between them. This chemistry came from their natural talents as performers and was enhanced by the fact that in real life the two are boyfriend and girlfriend.
“[It was] kind of a best-case scenario where Shawn was able to act in intimate scenes with someone that he actually loves and trusts in real life, so it made directing the scenes a lot easier for me,” said Isocianu.
Alon Isocianu directed Shawn Hook and model Kendall Kovitz in the extraordinary “Sound of Your Heart” music video.
Even though their real-life chemistry exists, Isocianu’s skills were put to the test when directing the couple’s physical intimacy. The two performers had to feel comfortable with each other, a big crew, lights and fake snow covering them in bed. Some scenes had a jib hanging right over their heads. Isocianu found that sometimes the best thing a director can do is to try and “stay out of their way.”
“My job as an artist and actor is to give my best performance on camera,” Hook said. “Having such thorough direction and knowledge about what is happening in every scene from Alon makes performing a lot more effortless.”
In Isocianu’s vision, this music video takes place in Hook’s mind. He originally sought to create a world that shifted between scenes of a real life tumultuous relationship and a dream-like setting. In the end, an artful reality prevailed. He chose to have snow falling throughout the video to signify a bridge from the world the viewer sees to the dream-like world that’s still at the story’s core. Falling snow is a powerful image. Isocianu used it to represent both torment and love, something that draws upon inspiration from other directors—namely Quentin Tarantino.
Isocianu said, “There’s also a scene in “Kill Bill Vol.1” where Uma Thurman’s character has a duel with Lucy Liu’s character in the snow at night. It’s beautiful yet filled with so much tension. I love it.”
Said Hook, “Alon is a very detail-oriented director. From his treatments to pre-production to filming and post-production, Alon has extreme integrity through out every step.”
As a director, Isocianu knows how to weave emotionally complex narrative together with a visually mesmerizing presentation. Working within feelings of aggression and love, his work becomes very personal and intimate. The goal is to make people think. Art is an exploration of what it means to be human. Through his videos, Isocianu shines a light on the meaning the songs he works with are alluding to. In the case of “Sound of Your Heart,” we are reminded of what we sign up for when we let ourselves fall in love.
Watch the “Sound of Your Heart” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_YOWzkJDfY
Check out Shawn’s Today Show interview: http://www.today.com/video/shawn-hook-is-elvis-duran-s-artist-of-the-month-624600131875
And see his Live with Kelly & Michael performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipa7ketQ7_8