With any indication, witnessing Sunny Ozell bond with a horse in her latest music video and single for “All That I Am,” and ultimately, it’s submission to her, it’s no doubt her music will do the same for listeners. Sunny Ozell is a New York pop-soul singer and songwriter, singing all about her travails with anxiety, and being alone. With her latest album, Overnight Lows, Sunny and her incredible musicians have released an inherently scintillating and lively collection of music. The musicians accompanying her on Overnight Lows include Jay Bellerose on drums (Sam Phillips, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant), bassist Andy Hess (Gov’t Mule, The Black Crowes), and multi-instrumentalist Rich Hinman (St. Vincent, Sara Bareilles).
With Sunny’s video for “All That I Am,” she worked with young director Alissa Torvinen, who has amassed a log of A-list clients she’s shot clips for, including P!nk, the Black Eyed Peas and Lindsey Sterling, among numerous others. Alissa captures the relationship between Sunny and the horse succinctly, making Sunny look just as majestic as the animal does. Find out what it was like for Sunny to work and communicate with the horse in the video for “All That I Am,” working with director Alissa Torniven and the amazing veteran talented musicians she collaborated with on Overnight Lows, and of course, her fun music favorites.
Overnight Lows is out now and can be streamed and/or downloaded here.
I love your new single and stunning music video for “All That I Am,” and your interaction with the horse. Had you ever ridden one before, and what was it like working he/she on set?
Sunny Ozell: I grew up in the West, and my parents are definitely “horse people”, though not the fancy kind, but the ranching kind. Having spent a decent amount of time in the company of horses, I was quite comfortable on set with my “costar.”
I love the relationship between you and the horse also, as it is very similar to life and how we communicate with people. Was this your idea for the video; what was the collaboration like?
Sunny: I love communicating with animals, and horses are immensely sensitive creatures. I was so grateful to them for being so patient with me, and I did my best to let them know that.
Alissa Torniven’s work for the video on “All That I Am” is impeccable, and looks like there was a very fluid effort for the both of you. Can you share with us your experience working with her?
Sunny: Alissa is a remarkable creator…I told her everything I could about my process and about what I felt in the writing of “All That I Am”, and (if you’ll excuse the pun) I handed her the reins. She came back with a few great concepts, and we both agreed the treatment involving horses was the one to go with. But honestly, the older I get, the more I realize that doing good work is as much about building a team as it is about one’s own individual output. And Alissa is an excellent leader. She worked as hard as anyone on set, inspired people to explore their skills, and treated everyone with respect. And when everyone feels valued on a project like this, inevitably the end result is pretty great.
“All That I Am” is from your second album, Overnight Lows, which you worked with Jay Bellerose on. What was that experience like, and can you share some of the memorable moments during recording?
Sunny: I knew enough about Jay to know I was a big fan, but in the early sessions I was trying to keep focused and not let my fangirl out too much. That said, it’s immensely delightful to work with someone who you’ve been listening to for twenty years…who helped shape the very way you hear and make music.
You assembled some of the best musicians in the business. Had you worked with them before, or how did you guys’ collaboration come about?
Sunny: Some I had, some I hadn’t. I think it’s probably like most industries—you stick around long enough, you’ll probably cross paths with just about everyone. It’s always thrilling to work with someone “new.” cuz inevitably they bring in ideas that refresh and open up the work that you do.
Taking you back a little bit, you trained classically at a very young age. When did you know you wanted to sing and perform?
Sunny: I’ve never not sung…been singing since I could make sound with my mouth. The performing bit is another matter…I’m a relatively reluctant front person, and it’s taken a lot of inner work to find my way onto a stage.
