Watch: Kady Rain’s Barbies Come to Life in “Lovestruck”

Kady Rain performing for toys at a drive-in concert in “Lovestruck”

In early 2020, pop sparkler Kady Rain envisioned her next music video: 100 “girls, gays, and theys” dressed to the nines in rainbow outfits performing an epic choreographed dance to her track “You Got Me” – as interspersed with sequences of people hugging and making out.

“As soon as the pandemic happened that was not a viable music video option anymore,” the Austinite now laughs.

Back-burnering the dance party visuals, Rain began envisioning a clip to accompany her previous single “Lovestruck,” a song about driving around the middle of nowhere with someone you’re very fond of.

“The lyrics are about lovers driving into the sunset, maybe to the beach, or the theme park, or a hotel to make sweet love,” she says, noting that she maintains gender neutral pronouns in her songs to make them universal. “It’s about celebrating being with the person you love and not knowing where you’re going. It’s all about the journey.”

Rain’s friend Cole Burris of local synth-pop trio Goons honed his stop-motion animation skills and offered to undertake the endeavor. The only direction Rain gave him: she wanted to be a pop star Barbie and drive a little pink convertible.

“I had piles and piles of Barbies,” Rain admits of her childhood. “I’d do your typical house things with them, and also get them naked and have sex with each other and have all these crazy Barbie parties – even a little witchcraft. I also played boys games too. I loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

Burris ran with idea, masterminding a short where Rain’s toys come to life while she sleeps and drive off on a romantic cruise, culminating in an adorable drive-in concert where the singer performs. The stop motion’s charmingly executed and the set design, including cardboard landscapes, combines a DIY aesthetic with an artist’s touch.

Watch it here:

Look for a full-on “You Got Me” dance bonanza video when the pandemic subsides. In the meantime, Kady Rain performs at the new Meanwhile Brewery on Thursday. The free show happens outdoors and socially distanced – masks required.