Top: Candyce with producer Tyle Perrin. Bottom: Rye Bar owners Frank and Ede with Candyce.
By Mitzi Brabb
Gazette/Connection Correspondent
By now most Rim Country residents are familiar with the name Candyce, the young rising country music star who hails from Payson. She made her debut in a Nashville recording studio last year, and starred in her first music video last weekend.
Dreams for the down-home girl became a reality last year when a Nashville producer chose Candyce out of 3,000 competitors who submitted demos, all hoping to become the next big thing on the country music scene. Soon Candyce was headed for Tennessee to record her first album, “Kicking up Dust.”
Already making a name for herself with her unique vocal style, Candyce was featured in Country Weekly Magazine last fall as one of the nation’s “up and coming” artists.
“What a thrill to be in my favorite magazine with all my idols!” she exclaimed.
Last weekend the 23-year-old starlet shared part of her dream with other Rim Country residents as she wrapped up her first music video in a local environment.
The project came about when a record label in Los Angeles contacted Candyce with praise for her album, and wanted to see a music video. Everything suddenly fell into place when Tyle Perrin, a producer from Creative Suite 17, flew in from Tulsa, Okla. to begin filming.
Shot in sequence with one of Candyce’s more popular songs, "Somewhere in Between," the first scene took place in a small church in Pine on Friday. By Saturday, the production team had moved to a local ranch, and Sunday they wrapped up at the Rye Bar and Grill.
Although the entire video was filmed in three days, the cast and crew put in long hours. Candyce called the endeavor both hard work, and play. Postproduction, however, will likely include some 80 hours of editing back at the Tulsa studio, with the video set for release in June or July. It will be featured on youtube, a popular internet site, but Perrin hopes to get it in rotation on the Country Music Television network.
Those who participated in the making of the production, including family, friends, fans, and local residents, felt that the unique nature of the video is sure to make it a success.
“When thinking about doing a breakout video, I wanted to do something that described who I am as a person; "Somewhere in Between" was the perfect choice because it really depicts my character,” she explained.
“I’m neither a Barbie Doll nor a redneck.”
“Somewhere in Between” is a fun, upbeat song that Candyce feels can be empowering for women who are caught between two places, or two roles in their lives.
“The song describes how a lot of women feel. Several of my fans have told me that they can really relate to this song,” she said.
Without wanting to give too much away, Candyce described the opening of the video as a scene in which she rides up on a beautiful, white Arabian mare and stops to help a man fix his truck. In other scenes she appears in church or painting her nails on horseback.
The real Candyce also has fun being both a girlie-girl and a young adventurer, who is not afraid to raise a little hell, but can be classy and laid-back as well.
“I can have fun kicking up dust on my ATV, but I clean up real nice,” she says.
And just as her song suggests, she can sip fine wine in a little black dress or be comfortable in jeans and a jersey watching football on Sunday afternoon.
Candyce said she felt fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Perrin, who let her play a major part in the creative direction the video took.
“It was just such an incredible experience,” she beamed, as she described how her video depicted the various elements of being cute, fun and classy.
“And to realize the detail that goes into making a music video. I have a whole new appreciation for everything that goes into it and of how great of a job everyone did.”
The Rye Bar was the first place that Candyce sang professionally, so it was an obvious choice to film at least part of her first video there. She is appreciative of the start, and the continued support that Frank and Ede, who own the Rye Bar, have given her. She plans to host a video premiere at the Rye Bar when it is released.
Humble to the core, Candyce is grateful to everyone who helped make the production a success, including her mother, photographer Jeannie Herford, and her right-hand man, Ryan Leslie, who attended to all her needs during filming.
She said that she is thrilled to have found a new band that is just the right fit for her vision, goals, and style. With the success of her album, she is jumping in with the band and working on their image, and songs for upcoming shows. Part of the plan is to appear at local and valley scenes, as well as larger venues to promote the video. She also hopes to one day participate in Country Thunder, a festival that features a number of national country western artists every April in Florence, Ariz.
“I want people leaving my shows saying ‘that was amazing,’” Candyce said.
“The thing that is great about coming from a small town is that everyone roots for you. It’s a good feeling to know that you have that support.”
Candyce is hoping that Rim Country residents will continue to support her. One way of doing that will be to watch her video on youtube, and rate it highly, after it premieres this summer.
For more information on how to do that visit her website at www.candycemusic.com or www.myspace.com-candycecountrymusic.
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