NASHVILLE, Tenn. – October 4, 2024 – Nashville-based, Aussie artist Wesley Dean releases the official music video for “Crazy Hearts” from his critically-acclaimed album Music From Crazy Hearts. The captivating video, made in collaboration with the Nashville Ballet, was choreographed by Nashville Ballet’s Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin and features company dancers James Lankford and Lily Saito. The music video, directed by Jacobie Gray, premiered to an exclusive audience during Nashville Ballet’s opening production of Paul Vasterling’s Dracula at Tennessee Performing Arts Center last night (10/3). Limited tickets remain to see Dracula this weekend.
Wesley Dean shared that he came up with the idea of the unique collaboration, giving his neighbor credit for the suggestion.
“The sun was warm on a Nashville afternoon. I was on the porch, guitar in hand, playing something between a memory and a dream,” said Dean of how he first connected with the ballet. “My neighbor Evelyn, a dancer herself, wandered over, drawn by the music. Out of nowhere, she asked if I’d ever thought about working with the Nashville Ballet. It stopped me cold. Full circle. I used to dance when I was younger—ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary. It was all in me. When she asked, I stood there, trying to take it in. The Nashville Ballet—best of the best. My song, ‘Crazy Hearts,’ spinning into something raw, something real. The kind of thing you spend your life chasing. And here it was, handed to me by the universe.”
Dean soon discovered that Nashville Ballet, the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee, presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin. So he asked Mullikin to choreograph this special piece for his music video and the rest was magic.
“I love creating in every way—music, dance, words. It’s all part of the same pulse,” continues Dean. “Seeing my work brought to life through Nick Mullikin’s genius choreography felt like a dream. It wasn’t your typical ballet. Watching the brilliant James Lankford and Lily Saito move, like they were on the edge of a cloud, each step breathing new life into the lyrics, adding meaning I never imagined. It was raw, honest, like nothing else. To watch a piece of yourself take flight, soar high, and land in the hearts of those watching—that’s something beyond words. I’m proud of the music video we made, directed by Jacobie Gray. We took a risk, and it worked.”
“Nashville is filled with an immense amount of creative talent looking to build and expand the reach of their art,” said Nashville Ballet Artistic Director and CEO, Nick Mullikin. “This piece shows Nashville Ballet’s commitment to trying to reach audiences outside of what would be considered traditional for us, and we are so thrilled that Wesley and his team saw the same opportunity we did to make the community that much more rich through collaboration.”
Watch the “Crazy Hearts” music video via YouTube
Stream Music From Crazy Hearts
Last summer, Dean and his family packed into an RV with a director and cameraperson in tow, traveling over 5,000 miles from Nashville to LA via towns steeped in musical history and playing shows off the beaten track. Music From Crazy Hearts, recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, and its videos chronicle this experience, with a full-length feature film Crazy Hearts: The Documentary slated for release next year. The LP earned acclaim from People Magazine, CMT, Holler, BrooklynVegan, Whiskey Riff, The Bluegrass Situation, and many more.
The songs on Music From Crazy Hearts complement the soundscape to Dean’s own story of breaking the industry mold to carve out his name independently. Leading up to the album’s release, Dean shared a number of singles and accompanying videos including “Mercy” and its neon-imbued romp through Sin City, “Blood Brothers,” which Magnet Magazine called "an epic country-tinged rocker,” “Don’t Look Back” featuring Sarah Buxton, which Dean performed on RFD-TV and Glide Magazine called “a gorgeous work of country-laced Americana that resonates with all of us,” and lead single “Burn This House”.
For more than a dozen years Dean’s been one of Australia’s best-known artists, armed with a larger-than-life voice that catapulted songs like “You” to the top of the charts. Even so, the Adelaide native found himself boarding an American-bound plane in early 2021 with his young family. Dean’s effortless ability to embody multiple genres, such as roots rock, soul and folk meant, after a brief hiatus from the spotlight of earlier years, Dean was able to return to music on his own terms, writing songs that mixed heartland hooks with heart-baring honesty for his previous album and American debut, Unknown.
Connect with Wesley Dean
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ABOUT NASHVILLE BALLET
Nashville Ballet, the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee, presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin and other guest artists.
Nashville Ballet's 2024-25 season lineup includes beloved classics like Dracula with George Balanchine’s Serenade, Nashville’s Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty, all choreographed by Artistic Director Emeritus Paul Vasterling. Season ticket holders' support helps to sustain Nashville Ballet’s artistic and educational excellence, accessible arts education to children and adults throughout the Nashville area and beyond, contributing to the city’s vibrant arts and cultural landscape. Season tickets and packages, including select performances, and single show tickets are now available through NashvilleBallet.com or by calling 615-297-2966 ext. 710.
Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2, provide more than 55,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through virtual and in-person season performances and Community Engagement programming. Nashville Ballet’s curriculum-based Community Engagement and Education Programs bring dance education to over 12,000 students in over 25 schools across 21 council districts in Middle Tennessee. School of Nashville Ballet provides exceptional dance training to students ages two and up.
Nashville Ballet receives public funding from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from local, regional, and national institutional funders, community partners, and hundreds of generous individuals provide ongoing support for Nashville Ballet’s mission-critical programs.
To learn more about Nashville Ballet, please visit NashvilleBallet.com.
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