Alt-pop Dubliner Ailbhe Reddy is gearing up to release her debut album, Personal History. While the record won’t hit streaming services until the 2nd of October, her latest single “Looking Happy” looks like it’s is an excellent indicator of what the singer-songwriter has in store.
Punchy guitars and space-age electronics back Reddy’s crystal clear vocal, where she laments watching an ex’s life on social media. “I think it’s something a lot of people can relate to,” Reddy notes. “Having this weird insight into someone’s life even though you don’t really know how they are is so strange. Even though we all know in theory that people only present the positive aspects of life on social media, sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. So ‘Looking Happy’ was a response to that frustration and hurt.
Deliciously tongue-in-cheek, the video sees Reddy looking decidedly unhappy at a children’s birthday party. “I wanted the music video to be a kind of like that,” Reddy says. “Someone looking really sad in situations where they should be smiling. We decided on a really childish birthday party because I wanted an excuse to rent a bouncy castle. Most of what you see online is people smiling at different parties, so it’s kind of a play on that. We’ve all gone to parties where we’ve been a bit miserable and put on a smile for the camera so I thought it would be sort of funny to looking miserable while everyone else is having fun around me.”
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