Exclusive Premiere: Canaan Cox Debuts Captivating Music Video For New Single, ‘Hate Me More’
Country Now has the first look at Cox’s “Hate Me More” video.
Photo Courtesy Canaan Cox
Rising star Canaan Cox has reached beyond the bounds of his own creativity to deliver the mastered music video for his new single, “Hate Me More,” and Country Now has the exclusive premiere of the clip.
Utilizing his impressive skillset of singing, acting, directing, and producing, Cox uncovers the core of his high-energy song and brings the unhinged storyline of lost love to life through the series of captivating clips.
“When I was coming up with the concept, I was hooked on the line ‘I can’t stop loving you’ as in mentally, physically, and emotionally not capable. The idea made me feel like I was almost a slave to her, hence the ‘prison’ cell,” he explained to Country Now. “I had other narrative storylines, but the song hit too hard, so I knew there had to be a performance element in the video to capture the aggressiveness of the track.”
The video opens with a futuristic tone as Cox and his band members make their way to the stage. The dark, smoky room and hypnotic lights shine all the attention on him, as his eyes tell the painful story that is about to unfold.
Suddenly, the focus begins to flip back and forth, revealing a woman who slowly walks around Cox’s character. By the end of the video, he realizes that the memories of his past love interest have taken over his thoughts and he’s left feeling trapped, frustrated, and unable to move on.
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Cox revealed that his acting abilities shown throughout the music video stem from his time at Catawba College in North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre.
“It’s always fun putting my music theatre degree to use with my videos on and off the camera, and I had the most fun designing the set for ‘Hate Me More.’ Those $6 air filters on the bottom of the stage made the video!”
Co-written with Eric Arjes and Scott Stepakoff, and produced by Matt Geroux, “Hate Me More” dives into the battle between love and loss. His pleading vocals draw the listener in and hold them close, just like his love interest does to his own heart and mind.
The truth behind his emotions stands at the forefront as Cox sings the painfully honest chorus, “I tell everyone I hate you / Got everybody in this town fooled / I tell everyone I hate you / But the truth is I hate me more / Cause I can’t stop loving you.”
“Lyrically, this is one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve written,” Cox shares about the new track. “To admit to yourself that you’re not doing ok, is incredibly hard sometimes. I came into the write knowing the hook ‘I tell everyone I hate you but I hate me more, cause I can’t stop loving you.’ I wanted the music to match the aggressiveness of the inner struggle of that situation. After playing around with some ideas I think we nailed the music to match the lyrics.”
Fans have been itching at the chance to hear the entirety of this emotional song, after getting a taste from clips on the singer/songwriter’s social media pages. The alluring track is the first glimpse into all the exciting things the North Carolina native has in the works for 2023.
Since moving to Nashville in 2016 as a continuation of his musical journey, Cox has made an effort to hone in on his craft and establish his contemporary country/pop sound. Following this release, he plans to drop his five-track EP, out May 5.
“I’ve had many people reach out, giving me their life story or love stories of how my music has helped them through a rough time, a breakup, or simply their morning commute,” he shared. “My goal with this forthcoming EP is to expand on, having each song be a story that everyone can relate to.”
This summer Canaan Cox will also take his collection of new songs on the road as he makes his way to the UK this June for his headlining Coming Home tour. Before this set of shows, he will make a few more stops, including his next show in Vienna, VA on February 11.
“Hate Me More” is available to pre-save HERE.
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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