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Oh, Be Clever came in Monday, April 6 for a live studio performance at the KSL Broadcast House. They played "I Will Carry You." Mark Nott filmed and edited the video, which you can also watch on the KSL.com YouTube channel.SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake electronic pop band Oh, Be Clever recently wrote a song that seeks to help people suffering from clinical depression, anxiety disorder and other mental illnesses.
Oh, Be Clever members Brittney Shields and Cory Scott Layton have played music with each other for several years, starting out in an Emo band together in high school. After experiencing unnecessary drama in that band, the two decided to split off and make music together.
After playing a variety of genres and styles, the two landed upon their distinct electro pop style. But through all their different styles, they have continually written music with deep-felt and personal lyrics.
“We’re very real in our music as far as lyrics go. I don’t like to sugarcoat things,” Shields said. “I’ve always been very open and honest about things in our music.”
This honesty led the band to write its latest single, “I Will Carry You,” a song that lets people who have depression know that they have worth, and that there are people who love them and care for them.
This is a topic that is extremely personal to Shields who was raised by a father who had PTSD.
“As I got older I started to notice that I had the same type of disease,” Shields said.
She found out later that she has clinical depression and anxiety disorder, and she has battled with these since, but this has given her a unique perspective and a unique ability to help those who also struggle.
“So, because of that I completely understand when people say they feel alone,” Shields said. “The whole song’s purpose is to get people to feel more comfortable talking about it, so they won’t feel ashamed about what they have.”
By writing and performing this song, Shields hopes to bring not only more awareness to the topic, but to make it less taboo to talk about and to help people who have the disease feel more comfortable and open about it.
“My goal is to reach out as far as I can to let people know that they matter, that they have a purpose on this planet and that they do mean a lot to people,” Shields said.
You can watch the band's music video for “I Will Carry You” here, and listen to their music on bandcamp.com.
The band will also be playing at the Hard Rock Rising competition in Las Vegas on April 24. If they make it to the finals, they will travel to Barcelona, Spain for a performance.
Brock Allen is a Montanan and a communications student at Brigham Young University-Idaho. Formerly a KSL.com intern, he regularly contributes as a music writer. Contact him at olaf.sant6@gmail.com.
