Canadian Musician/Actor Ajay Friese Releases Music Video For “Blackberry”
Directed By Lost In Space Co-Star Mina Sundwall
Today, Canadian musician and actor Ajay Friese, released the music video for his new track “Blackberry”, following the recent release of his debut EP light a match… then run.
Filmed in Santa Maria, CA and Los Angeles, CA, and directed by Ajay’s good friend and Lost in Space co-star, Mina Sundwall, the “Blackberry” music video is based on a story from Ajay’s childhood, that asks the question: What does it feel like to hold on to a lie that chases you everywhere you go? It affects everything, like the dryness of a desert - nothing else can survive but this feeling. But you can’t run forever… So, what happens when the truth comes out? Well, it’s like finding water.
“I played Blackberry for Mina when we were filming season 3 of Lost in Space. We’d chatted briefly about the back story: about how I wrote the song in middle school, after having accidentally set fire to the hill behind my house; about how I lied and kept quiet about it all summer long until I finally confessed by writing my mom a letter and tucking it into her dresser. I told Mina about the wonderful release that came with revealing that secret. And then she called out of the blue a few months later, not just with a vision, but with a fully detailed treatment for the music video,” said Ajay Friese.
“It has been a thrill to make my narrative directorial debut with the music video for Ajay Friese’s “Blackberry.” When I first heard the song, I saw this story - the isolation of holding onto a secret that won’t let you go, like being chased through a world with no way out - and needed to tell it. I’m grateful that Ajay trusted my vision enough to let me throw him down sand dunes and rush him across landscapes,” said Mina Sundwall.
Ajay Friese is best known for his recurring roles on television shows such as Lost in Space, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and Riverdale, as well as for his lead role in the critically acclaimed 2019 film Riot Girls. But the curiosity that drives Friese has always led him to cast a wide net in terms of his creative pursuits and passions.
His music journey is finally coming to fruition with his debut independently released EP entitled light a match… then run, produced in New York City by Grammy nominee Everett Bradley. The EP includes the focus track “Blackberry” and the previously available singles “Jasper,” “Higher Stakes” and “Your Eyes,” seamlessly blending pop, alt-folk, and rock with Ajay’s powerful voice and lyrics that illuminate the joys and struggles of love and self-discovery with an open mind and heart.
Friese was involved in every step of the EP creation including writing, composing and arranging - a testament to the dedication he has to his craft. In addition to music and acting, he has a background in competitive dance, and is an accomplished astrophotographer. But no matter what he’s focused on at any given moment, Ajay Friese never loses sight of his core belief in the value of putting himself in another person’s position.
