Norwegian singer-songwriter Ane Brun premiered the evocative music video for her new single “Don’t Run and Hide” on Wednesday (March 4), exclusively to Billboard.
Directed by Stian Anderssen, the shadowy clip showcases a number of distinct characters — including a young ballerina with albinism, a middle-aged drag performer lip syncing to the track and a trio of synchronized swimmers — as Brun sings about the need for empathy and bravery. “When you find yourself between reality and dreams/ Accept and breathe/ Don’t run and hide/ Take a peek outside/ I’m here for you/ Don’t run and hide/ Take a look outside/ I’m here for you,” she warbles over churning percussion, orchestral strings and a floating vocal descant.
“I think the finished video has become a beautiful and moving visual interpretation of my words. The amazing characters come to life through these short clips, displaying both vulnerability and strength, and I feel I want to see a feature film about each one of them,” Brun tells Billboard. “In ‘Don’t Run and Hide,’ I try to encourage and remind anyone who’s in a dark place not to isolate themselves and not disappear into a state of fear — to reach out and show their vulnerability.”
Brun also explains that when her father passed away four years ago, she was reluctant to write music about the difficult experience. “I entered a kind of voluntary writer’s block,” she says. I therefore focused on collaborative songwriting and covers to keep myself creative.” The first song Brun wrote was “Don’t Run and Hide,” and so she began to shape her upcoming thirteenth album, due this September.
“The album is emotional and many of the songs are also very danceable,” Brun promises of the yet-untiled LP, which will be her first since 2017’s Leave Me Breathless. “Nothing better than dancing while feeling all the feels!”
“Don’t Run and Hide” also follows the veteran Scandinan artist’s recent cover of Aurora‘s “All Is Soft Inside” as well as her 2019 holiday single “Silent Night Before The First Day of Christmas.”
Check out the exclusive premiere of “Run and Don’t Hide” below.
