Curtis Harding Shares Evocative Video For New Single “Hopeful”
Curtis Harding Shares Evocative Video For New Single “Hopeful”
Harding’s First New Music Since 2018
Simply calling Curtis Harding a “soul man” feels reductive. Harding’s voice conveys pain, pleasure, longing, tenderness, sadness and strength—a full gamut of emotions. Today his voice takes on an optimistic lilt in his new single “Hopeful”. Directed by photojournalist Lynsey Weatherspoon, the song’s accompanying black and white video was filmed in the West End of Atlanta and features footage of a John Lewis mural and recent Black Lives Matter protests.
“Working on the visuals for “Hopeful” was very cathartic because it gave me the chance to revisit and reflect on the activities from 2020,” Weatherspoon said. “Curtis' song really brings home what we're all feeling and how we can progress to the hope we have for our future. His energy is unmatched and he immersed himself into the process, which helped us create a powerful storyline for the video. Being able to really bring home the meaning of the song within several areas of Atlanta really made this project a success. I know “Hopeful” will be able to bring a sense of place in a world that we desire to love and peace to be spread abound.”
“I wrote [“Hopeful”] some time ago but in theory it goes far beyond a time and place,” Harding explained. “I’ve always tried to carry it (Hope) wherever I am. Darkness finds us all, hope allows us the fortitude to seek out the light. “
Harding’s 2017 album Face Your Fear saw him teaming up with chief collaborator Sam Cohen, augmented by the presence of super producer Danger Mouse. “With a scorching voice like his, the funk is eternal,” said New York Magazine. The album’s track “On And On” was also recently featured in the closing scene of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier miniseries finale on Disney+.
Harding fuels his psychedelic sound with the essence of Soul but isn’t bound by it. Instead, his songs convey an eclectic blend of genres leaping from the many musical lives he has lived from following his evangelical Gospel-singing mother on tour around the country as a child to rapping in Atlanta, forming a garage band with The Black Lips’ Cole Alexander to singing back-up for Cee Lo Green. Through these experiences, he fully embraces life’s darkest intricacies and conjures dynamic, addictive melodies.