WATCH THE VISUAL FILMED IN MEXICO HERE

LISTEN TO PREVIOUS SINGLE WORTH

Toronto, ON – September 20, 2019 –Dynamic BC-born, Toronto-based duo, Once A Tree, take a trip to Mexico to capture a sense of freedom for their new single, What You Say. Members Hayden and Jayli Wolf self-directed the video, creating a piece as liberating as a vacation in a new place. Set against the vibrant backdrop of San Miguel de Allende, we see vocalist, Jayli Wolf, traversing the city streets with a model skeleton, symbolizing “dead weight.” Loosely following the story of someone in a dead-end relationship, the visual sees Jayli jumping in between the worlds of her imagination, culminating in her burying the burden she has been carrying in the relationship, ultimately setting herself free. Watch What You Say here.

"Most of us know what it feels like to be led on, betrayed, or lied to,” says Once A Tree. “We all deserve honesty, love, and loyalty. This song is about having the courage to get rid of the toxic people or relationships in our lives."

"We filmed in the colourful city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It was an adventure traveling with a 30-pound skeleton (we named him Tony) in our luggage. The airport customs officer’s eyes nearly fell out of her head when we sent him through the X-ray machine. Hayden and I film the majority of all our music videos ourselves, and this was one of the more difficult shoots we’ve done. Carrying Tony and all our camera gear through the tiny streets of San Miguel under the blazing sun in a full red dress suit was pretty ridiculous. We had people constantly filming us on their phones and others yelling from their balconies asking if the skeleton was real. This was definitely a project we’ll never forget."

What You Say follows Once A Tree’s previous single, Worth, another project highlighting the group’s intentional visual storytelling. Once A Tree returned to their home province of British Columbia, filming in the southeastern region’s Lower Kootenay Band Territory with First Nations Youth from Yawa Nukiy School, honouring Jayli’s Indigenous roots and Saulteaux heritage.  

The music video follows a young girl resembling a monster. She feels neglected at home, invisible on social media and bullied at school. The end of the video reveals that the girl isn’t really a monster – it’s simply a visual representation of the inner belief system she carries and has built from exterior judgments, evolving into courage, compassion and understanding above all.

Listen to What You Say, learn more about Once A Tree below, and continue following them on their journey.

About Once A Tree:
Once A Tree’s roots are founded by an unappalled, complimentary partnership. Comprised of Jayli and Hayden Wolf, Once A Tree has been on an upwards trajectory since their 2018 single, Born For This. The duo recently penned The Canadian Premier Soccer League's anthem, We Are One. Jayli also pursues an acting career and recently wrapped up filming a lead role in Justin Hartley’s new feature film, The Exchange. With a title and sound reflective of their unique dynamic and creative hustle, listen to Born For This, which was featured in the National launch campaign of the Nissan KICKS. 

Born For This followed the group’s 2017 EP, Phoenix, which produced standout tracks, Fine and Coming Down, and was awarded Best Electronic Music Album at the 2018 Indigenous Music Awards. With single, Breakdown –  a raw, honest look at depression that brings awareness to mental health – the group also worked with the Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) Foundation’s Not Alone Campaign in British Columbia to help raise funds to build facilities across Canada to help youths suffering from mental illness.  Previously, Once A Tree released Thousand Lives, which includes Howling – an emotive track featuring a stunning video, directed and shot by Hayden and Jayli. The releases received major accolades and praise from outlets like Billboard, Rolling Stone, Complex, Clash and People Magazine.

Once A Tree is immersed in the creative process and aesthetic of their sound. With a background in photography and video, Hayden Wolf has applied his skills to create unique pieces from inception to completion, while Jayli, a seasoned actress, lends her talents both behind, and in front of, the lens.

With pop melodies, EDM beats and indie-folk inflections, Once A Tree’s sound is ever-evolving. On Thousand Lives, we saw Hayden at the production helm and Jayli on the mic, to Phoenix, where both explored vocals to create beautiful contrast, with heartfelt lyrics forged from their personal experiences.

The two met while leaving the Jehovah’s Witness religion they were both raised in. Excommunicated by their community, they decided to use music as their voice. They fell in love and began writing folk music in a small valley town near the Canadian Rockies. As they left their community and families, Jayli won a songwriting competition. The couple were flown to Toronto to shoot a music video to support the piece on one-way tickets. Arriving with two suitcases, and a guitar, Hayden and Jayli started fresh with fierce determination to pursue their dreams.

During this relocation, Hayden was accepted into The Remix Project after a chance meeting with Toronto founder, Gavin Sheppard, while shooting behind the scenes on the set of a Charles Officer film. Hayden met the late Gord Downie, who was also on site, and amid sharing his music with the iconic singer, Sheppard caught wind, and encouraged him apply for the program, where he was later able to hone his music production skills alongside a diversely talented creative community. Paired with Jayli’s powerful vocals, the two began to develop their sound, continuing to share their story with an authentic approach and fluid musicality.

Buy/stream What You Say: foundation-media.ffm.to/whatyousay
Once A Tree On Spotify: spoti.fi/2xd6qpu

DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Press Photo | DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Single Artwork

www.onceatreemusic.com