Blending Latin and Country, Kat & Alex Tell Their Story in "How Many Times"
From coast to coast, rising duo Kat & Alex are capturing the story of their life in a brand new video, "How Many Times." Beautifully filmed in California and Florida, the cinematic project follows two on-again, off-again lovers who can't seem to stay apart. (But in real life, they got engaged in October.)
American Idol fans may recognize Kat Luna and Alex Garrido from Season 18, which aired earlier this year. Billboard also spotlighted the duo in October, in a report headlined Is There Finally a Market for Latin Country Music?
Take a look at Kat & Alex's new video, "How Many Times," then read our Q&A below the player.
What do you remember most about the shoot for this video?
This video had so many moving parts. We shot it over the course of two weeks! Half of the video was shot in Miami while the other half was shot in Nevada and California. One of the most memorable moments shooting this video was the sand dune scenes. We woke up at 3 am and packed up the van to drive out to the Mojave National Reserve in California two hours away.
We made it to the base of the Kelso Sand Dunes just before sunrise and began hiking up the sand dunes in the dark. We made it halfway up the dunes by sunrise and we were able to capture some beautiful shots! We then hiked to the peak, and by the time we were done shooting, the temperature hit above 100 degrees!
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How does the video bring your song to life?
This video brings so many elements of our song “How Many Times” to life. First off, we wanted people to know that we are not only a country duo but also a real-life couple. This video shows that aspect of our relationship. Also, the reason we shot the video in both Miami and the desert was to show viewers the two unique styles that each of us carry as individual artists.
Kat is a Cuban American born and raised in Miami who loves the ocean, and we wanted to show that by shooting her performance scenes in Miami. On the flip side, Alex comes from Puerto Rican descent, also born in Miami. Because of his father’s career in the military, Alex’s family moved to northwestern Georgia where Alex spent most of his childhood. In the summer of 2018, Alex traveled cross-country on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Riding his motorcycle became a large part of his story and ultimately how he met Kat.
These elements are shown throughout the video. Lastly, we had a vision of tic marks representing someone keeping track of “How Many Times” that person could deal with getting their heart broken. We not only incorporated these tic marks in the video, but we also used them in the single cover art. We wanted to give a cinematic presentation of the song because we wanted our EP to feel like a story being told. Each video ties into the next for the entire EP, and we can’t wait to share all of them.
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How did it feel to see the finished product for the first time?
Seeing the finished product for the first time felt unreal. It was like seeing ourselves in a movie. The video brought back so many memories from the two weeks of shooting. We want to give a special thank you to our team that helped make this video a reality: Doltyn Snedden, Troy Jackson, Rachel Buchanan, and Diana Garcia.
What message do you hope your fans take away from the video?
We will always have the same mission in mind. We want people to find an escape when they listen to our music or watch a music video. Music is so powerful and can bring people out of dark places in their lives. Music can also elevate someone’s existing joy. Whatever season our listeners may be in, we just want them to enjoy our music and help them get through anything.
Songwriters: Jordan Reynolds, Robyn Collins; Director: Doltyn Snedden
