American Idol season 10 runner-up and No. 1 singer-songwriter Lauren Alaina has released “What Do You Think Of?,” her duet with Danish pop star Lukas Graham from her current Getting Over Him EP.
The What Do You Think Of video marks the largest-scarle VP shoot for a music video in the world
The video “What Do You Think Of?”, directed by TK McKamy, to date marks the largest-scale Virtual Production (VP) shoot for a music video in the world – a major filmmaking achievement where the paths of video game industry and filmmaking converge. Major Hollywood studios have begun adopting some form of VP in high-budget series like Disney’s The Mandalorian and HBO’s Westworld.The video features Lauren traveling through the seasons of her past relationship, manifested into four surreal environments: her bedroom, Smoky Mountains, a red-door bar, and a backyard campout. Logistically, director McKamy was able to unite both Lauren and Lukas (who filmed his part in Denmark), separated by the Atlantic Ocean and COVID-19 travel restrictions to perform a duet in these worlds.
Lauren Alaina Releases Raw, Vulnerable ‘Getting Over Him’ EP (Audio)
With the Virtual Production approach, instead of the use of green screens, McKamy and his team built a 40 ft x15x12 ft curved LED volume which fully immersed the two in these four surreal memories.
The emotional song Lauren almost didn’t record
“That song is such an emotional song, and when I wrote it I was hurting so much. I get sad hearing the song. … I was not gonna release it. “The second verse is painful for me,” Lauren said about the song. “Something about Lukas singing it empowered me to put it on there. It’s now the standout on the EP, (and) I fought that song so hard.”
“What Do You Think Of?” shot up the iTunes chart hitting No. 1 on iTunes country and No. 4 on the all-genre chart. “What Do You Think Of?” continues to rise on the Radio Disney Country and Sirius XM’s The Highway chart.
What’s coming up for Lauren?
The Georgia native’s upcoming appearances include an invitation to perform on next Saturday’s special Christmas-themed Grand Ole Opry (Dec 19) which will also feature Lady A and Kelsea Ballerini. Tickets are on sale now at Opry.com. Their performances will air live during the Opry’s one-hour television broadcast, Opry Live, on Circle at 8:00-9:00 PM CT, as well as live on 650 WSM-AM and Sirius XM: Willie’s Roadhouse.
The Dancing with the Stars alum can also be seen throughout the month of December as the host of Musician on Call’s (MOC) “I’m On Call for Tennessee” virtual concert, which includes performances by Darius Rucker, Jon Pardi, Maddie & Tae, Priscilla Block and Kylie Morgan. The concert will be available to healthcare facilities statewide for patients and staff to enjoy throughout the month of December through MOC’s Virtual Bedside Performance Program. MOC is a non-profit that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities.
She is also part of the Gaylord Hotels Christmas Special “SO. MUCH. CHRISTMAS.” where she performs the Christmas classic “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” The special airs in December on Circle TV. Check local listings for dates/times
Lauren continues as host of the new weekly Circle TV series, Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith, the inspirational series, based off the namesake book Jesus Calling ® (Thomas Nelson).
