Hold On video by John Smith out now

John Smith has just released this phenomenal new video for Hold On, off his new album The Fray.

A note from John…

The Welsh word ‘hiraeth’ translates as ‘a deep longing for something, especially one’s home.’ I take it to mean a desire to feel centred, grounded, at ease. All of the sensations that make us feel as though we belong.

When I wrote Hold On, I was about to find myself without a fixed address for six months, as I embarked upon an extended period of moving between houses. We sold up to find out that our new place wouldn’t be available for a few months, so my family spent much of lockdown renting a one-bed lodge on the side of a mountain, where I learned to shovel snow and marvel at the rooks nesting overhead.

When we were finally able to enter our house, I felt instantly and completely at home. After a long, cold winter, my own hiraeth had been satisfied.

I recently had the opportunity to work with Chris Maguire and the team at riot.nyc on a video for Hold On. Their concept of an ode to hiraeth married perfectly with the message of the song, which is to hold tight to those you love, to the mission, to that which matters, in the hope of feeling grounded once more. I was delighted when the shoot provided an opportunity to get out into the peaks of North Wales for the day, to the side of that very same mountain where my family had dwelt.

Late in the afternoon, the mist crept over the mountaintop, enshrouding us completely; it was as though Mother Nature herself had decided to direct the shoot.