Being a musician may look glamorous from the outside, but, behind the scenes, there's a lot of blood, sweat and tears that isn't always documented on Instagram. New Zealand-based singer-songwriter Tami Neilson captures the daily grind of the music industry on the anthemic foot-stomper "Ten Tonne Truck," from her forthcoming album Chickaboom (out on Feb. 14).
"Hey hey, just work a little harder/ (Hey, hey) Punchin' that clock," Neilson sings. "With work and prayer and a little bit of luck/ Make so much money, need a ten tonne truck."
Neilson certainly knows about long hours and hard work. She spent her childhood and teen years traveling across the U.S. and Canada as part of her family band, The Neilsons.
"I wanted this video to represent the two sides to every musician, give fans a peek into the hustle and grind behind the glamour," Neilson tells Wide Open Country. "When my brother and director Todd Neilson (Valiant Made) came up with this concept, he originally had a male actor in mind to pull the truck. But, we then agreed that having me play both the roles would be a more fitting analogy of what it's like to be an artist. There's the 'glamorous' persona that the public sees: the made-up, beehived and sequined, Instagram-worthy artist who is always smiling and perceived as successful. Then there's the reality behind all the smoke and mirrors, the relentless grind, pulling that whole thing on your back with blood, sweat and tears, head down as you try to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. That said, in preparation for all the money this single is going to make, I'm already researching used Ten Tonne Trucks online [laughs]."
Watch the premiere of "Ten Tonne Truck" below.
For more information on Tami Neilson, visit her official website.
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