MUSIC: Lucy & La Mer team up with TikTok star Haley Faulkner for a new music video

We caught up with the long-distance duo to find out all about this queer collab 🌈

BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS, IMAGE VIA YOUTUBE

What better time than quarantine to collab with some of your favourite content creators? That’s exactly what pop icon Lucy & LA Mer did for her brand new single, Rollercoaster! Teaming up with TikTok star Haley Faulkner for the adorable music video, we can’t get enough of this catchy new tune.

Based on the ups and downs that come with long distance relationships, the video expertly showcases how us queer folk navigate the distance, especially during lockdown when more people than ever are separated from their loved ones. Reading books together, learning dances over video and taking the dogs for a walk together albeit on the other side of the country – Rollercoaster shows that it’s not so bad after all. 

DIVA: Hi Lucy! What’s your new single Rollercoaster all about? 

Lucy: Rollercoaster is inspired by my first queer relationships and my first girlfriend. I wanted to write about the excitement that it brought but also the mass confusion, the ups and downs, as well as learning the ropes of being in a relationship that isn’t the social norm. 

When did you write it? 

Lucy: I wrote the song a year ago and I sent a voice memo to my producer from my car. I was just playing it on my steering wheel and singing and thought I would send it to see what they think. He loved it and even used the original sound from the voice memo of my hands doing the drum beat in the car in the track so you can hear that in the chorus. It was a lot of fun to record but we only had one session back in February right before lockdown. I ended up recording the vocals at my parents house in their walk in closet and using all the clothes as sound proofing. Once it was done I was super excited about it, so I reached out to Haley and asked if she would like to be in the music video. That’s how it all got started. 

How did you know of Haley? 

Lucy: I followed Haley on TikTok because their videos are hilarious and they brighten my day. I wanted to help support their platform and share their personality. I’m glad we got to collaborate on this. 

What did you think then Lucy reached out, Haley? 

Haley: I just immediately said “I’m down”. It sounded awesome and I remember I started planning it out and I hadn’t even heard the song yet! Before even hearing it I was like “Yeah let’s do it” but then I was like “Hold on, can you send me the song?” I remember playing it on repeat and having it stuck in my head because I found it so relatable. 

Have you done anything like this before? 

Haley: No, nothing quite like this, it’s my first music video. Fortunately, I was familiar with they way we filmed it because it was all on a phone and I’m always making TikTok’s, but I’ve never made something quite like this. It’s been a fun and unique project for me. 

I love your TikTok! What’s the queer community like on the app? 

It’s been one of the most supportive environments. There’s a lot of Gen-Z on there, which I didn’t know about TikTok at first. I’ve come to really appreciate them because they seem open minded and generally supportive of the community, at least from what I’ve seen. I haven’t seen online bullying on queer content on TikTok. It seems like people on TikTok feel even more liberated than on some of the other platforms to have that self expression. I think it’s cool in that way. 

The video shows the difficulties that long distance relationships face. Are you guys familiar with long distance relationships yourselves? 

Lucy: Yeah, I’m not a fan. They’re so rough. 

Haley: Yeah, me too. I could really relate to the music video. 

Where did the idea for the music video come from? 

Lucy: It’s based on the experiences I’ve had but also on the current situation in the world. I was trying to get really creative with making a music video and I’d just done a big production music video on my last one during Covid. It was so stressful, it really took away the fun of creating because you’re so anxious and everyone has to get tested. It’s a lot of anxiety added onto something that should be a lot of fun. 

For this, I just wanted to make a fun video. It was great that we could both self direct. We had a loose idea for the music video but we each took the scenes and applied it in our own way which gave us our own freedom to have fun with it. 

What’s the reaction been like to the music video so far? 

Lucy: On my side, people like it! Everyone loves Haley. They think it’s super cute and it’s been positive overall. The overall message is to just embrace it and enjoy the ride – it will all be worth it. 

Haley: It’s been really positive. I’ve had some people message me and say “Oh my god, why am I crying watching this music video?” I think a lot of queer women have long distance relationships, so seeing it and having it play out visually brought out some emotions for people.  

Why do you think long distance relationships seem to be so common for queer people? 

Lucy: I think it’s necessary because even when you live in a big city, the queer community still feels so small after a year of dating. It’s a very small dating pool and long distance is a great thing because you get to meet new people in lots of places. It’s kind of nice to have someone somewhere else. 

What advice would you give to someone struggling in a long distance relationship right now?

Lucy: I would say send things in the mail. You’re used to FaceTiming them everyday and you most likely know everything that’s going on in their life if you’re communicating once a day, so little surprises here and there, or writing a letter where they don’t know what you’re gonna say definitely adds some freshness. 

Haley: I think FaceTime is your best friend, but still plan out date nights even if it’s over FaceTime. Like a certain activity or take ideas from the video! Make dinner together or play a video game together just to mix it up so it’s not just FaceTime every time. 

You can follow Lucy & La Mer’s Instagram here and Haley Faulkner’s hilarious TikTok here. 

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