Although only making her debut last year, pop singer-songwriter Jem Cassar-Daley has already tallied up a number of impressive achievements including winning the Indigenous Award at the 2022 Queensland Music Awards (QMAs).
The daughter of acclaimed country artist Troy Cassar-Daley (whose dual performance of Mop and The Dropouts' song 'Brisbane Blacks' at the QMAs led to a standing ovation), Jem recently released her debut EP ('I Don't Know Who To Call' – a charming collection of indie pop, soul originals), headlined a tour of Queensland and has been added to a number of festival line-ups (including Jungle Love).The final track off 'I Don't Know Who To Call' is 'Oh No', a jaunty, upbeat ballad whose lyrics paint a raw, personal message that Jem co-wrote at an APRA SongHubs session.
"Ali Barter, Tom Eggert and I wrote this track together last year," begins Jem. "It's fun and super uptempo, which is not something I normally write but really enjoyed the process."
The writing process of 'Oh No' was also a fan-girl moment for Jem who found herself next to one of her creative heroes.
"Writing with Ali was definitely a highlight last year because she is such an inspiration, particularly for young women in the industry.
"I've loved and listened to her music for years and love the honesty and authenticity in her lyrics, particularly 'This Girl'; and writing with Tom is awesome because not only is he a talented producer, he has such a great ear for pop and gives me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone in the studio."
Now Jem is ready to unveil the music video for 'Oh No' that scenestr is thrilled to premiere today. Enjoy.
"I wanted to try and capture the energy we felt recording the demo in the video clip with lots of sparkles and high energy," Jem says.
"I rocked up to the shoot and the team at Rare Squid had filled the garage with just about every prop under the sun.
"The inspiration for this clip was definitely '70s disco – particularly ABBA and Kate Bush. I binge-watched so many video clips before filming this and loved the lighting and transitions that were popular in this era!"
Though there was a minor injury incurred from a pesky piece of confetti. "The confetti scene was one of my favourites, though I must admit I had a stubborn piece stuck in my eye for the two-hour drive from Toowoomba to Brisbane and that wasn't flash!
"Regardless, it was the most fun I've ever had making a video clip! Rare Squid Creative have been so wonderful in helping me bring this concept to life and just keeping it loose and fun."
Jem Cassar-Daley 2022 Tour Dates
Fri 24 Jun - Coronation Hall (Coutts Crossing, NSW)Sat 30 Jul - Studio 188 (Ipswich)
Fri 26 Aug - Gurindji Festival (Kalkaringi, NT)
Sun 4 Sep - Jungle Love Festival (Jimna, QLD)
Sat 22 Oct - Mundubbera Blueberry Festival (Mundubbera, QLD)
