Back with her first track since 2011, Giovanna’s video for the anthemic ‘Young Heart Player’ is the perfect marriage of a stunning vocal range and cinematic know-how.
The video begins with a camera pan over a dilapidated ceiling before moving down onto a dancer lying on the floor. We cut to a close up of a dancer’s face, and from the moment her eyes open, we are hooked. The choreography tells the tale of a power struggle between the two dancers in the video, with the song a perfect accompaniment to this duet of bodies. Comprising of counter-balances, mirror images and more intricate movements which the dancers create using all of their bodies to the very tips of their fingers, it’s easy to see why Giovanna herself said that the choreography “perfectly captures the emotions of the song” (taken from @Giovanna_Freedm on Twitter). The music swells and Giovanna’s voice handles the falsetto passage with ease as the female dancer takes control over her male counterpart.
‘Young Heart Player’ is a blend of piano, synth and strings played over an echoing and driving drum beat showing off the ethereal nature of Giovanna’s vocals whilst simultaneously illustrating her capabilities as a songwriter and arranger. It is unsurprising to note that Giovanna has a background in film scoring since all her music has an uncompromisingly cinematic quality. She has written music for several award-winning films, such as RISK, which won Best Film at the Portobello Film Festival.
Both the song and the dance fill the sparse space of the room that the video takes place in. From every intricate movement of the dancers’ fingertips in time with the haunting piano part to the moment of stillness when the female dancer gains control and stares at the camera in triumph, it feels like we are watching a film, not merely a music video.
With a talent that spans differing yet complementary forms of media, Giovanna truly is a talent you will want to keep an eye (and an ear) on, as she is set to blow up your radio this summer.