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Ryan Kinder and Sykamore Are "Doing Fine," Unless...

The song idea "stemmed from the thought that heartbreaks are never even."

In the striking new video for "Doing Fine," Ryan Kinder insists that he's all right, really ... but all of that would instantly change if he found out his ex was feeling equally upbeat. In one frame, he's singing about moving forward, and in the next he's staring at a photo of his former flame, wondering where it all went wrong.

By fusing pop and country influences, Kinder has met his match in Sykamore, a rising talent who is part of CMT's Next Women of Country. Co-starring in the new video, they take the games of a relationship to a whole other level.

Watch the video for "Doing Fine," then read our interview with Kinder and Sykamore below the player.

What do you remember most about the shoot for this video?

Ryan Kinder: I remember quite a lot about filming. It was an incredible day. The venue was spectacular. It was such a beautiful spot to shoot a video. The most incredible part about the day was the director and crew. They got a massive amount of material and shots in such a short amount of time.

We had one day to finish the entire thing and Ben Clyde was an absolute pro and crushed it. We also had a lag in my time to be in shots as Sykamore was shooting a specific scene. I sat down for a little while and took an incredible accidental nap! Sleeping on the job....

Sykamore: Doing a lot of takes in the Range Rover and being totally OK with it.

How does the video bring your song to life?

Ryan Kinder: We had a great treatment that really emphasized the point of not being able to move on if the other party in the song had done so. It took the story to a new level in a playful manner as the character I play and the character Sykamore plays is in a sort of cat and mouse/heist game where the ending is up in the air...sort of a 'the ball's in your court now' to the other character.

Sykamore: There’s a dark cinematic quality the video has, and I think it reflects the darkness of the feelings between the characters. When a relationship ends, the emotions can be messy and dramatic, but also beautiful and revealing. I feel the video does a good job physically representing both sides of that and mirroring the internal struggle of the characters.

What message do you hope your fans take away from the video?

Ryan Kinder: When I had the idea of this song it stemmed from the thought that heartbreaks are never even. It's usually one-sided albeit we meet in the middle at some point. I think that it's ok to not be completely happy with how something ended. I think it shows that you truly cared about what happened and having specific emotions about the outcome, even if they aren't good, are ok to have. I think this video captures a little fun in regard to that feeling.

Sykamore: I hope they take away the idea that breakups are not linear and we are all subject to the heightened drama, or even comedy that follows.

How did it feel to see the finished product for the first time?

Ryan Kinder: It was extremely gratifying seeing the finished product after all the hard work the crew, the director, my manager, the colorist and me and Sykamore had put into it. Having something tangible after the inception, brainstorming and grinding work it took to get here is a wonderful feeling.

Sykamore: It was breathtaking to see the final edit. I am friends with Ben, our director, and so I know the brilliance he is capable of, but he exceeded even my expectations with this video. I think it’s visually stunning, which is a testament to our whole camera crew and everyone who helped work on this project. I’m so glad it came together the way it did.


Songwriters: Ryan Kinder, Justin Morgan, Jordan Ostrom; Director: Benjamin Clyde

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