Apryll Aileen is putting her own spin on a Frank Loesser holiday classic, and it’s not “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Instead, she’s thrown her hat into the ring against the likes of Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and, more recently, Zooey Deschanel & Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and put together her own version of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”
In case you’ve not been following the progress of Aileen’s career, we’ve spotted a clear pattern: show up, do things. Her recent video for “Don’t Make Me Wait” similarly involved her travelling to California and accidentally putting together a music video on a day she was only supposed to perform a concert.
“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” came together a little bit less miraculously and much closer to home.
“[I] literally met the owner of this place on Thursday evening and then Saturday I decided to learn this cover song… And my brother was in town for the holidays. I got him to lay down the bass line, and then on Sunday I reached out to Filmmaker Tyler Warren Ellis, and Monday we filmed!” laughs Aileen. “At the Tanner’s Home Inn! It’s a beautiful inn in uptown Saint John.”
“I can hardly keep up with myself actually. I’ve been working my butt off just trying to get this done with enough lead time for people to enjoy for New Year’s Eve. We didn’t realize we were filming Christmas Eve until we showed up.”
Rather than performing the classic version we’re all very much familiar with, Aileen updated “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” with a little message of her own.
“I chose this song in particular because it has a vintage vibe to it and a vulnerability that our music doesn’t really have these days. But most importantly, during this time of year heartbreak and rejection are magnified, and when it happens people feel lonelier than ever. I changed the lyrics at the end to be more empowering. Just because something doesn’t turn out how you expect or want it to, doesn’t mean you can’t find other things to be grateful for… such as enjoying the holidays with good friends and not making everything about romantic relationships.
Aileen adds a verse to the end of the song to enforce that sentiment: “And if you don’t want to make any plans, I’ve got my own so I understand. My friends are here on New Year’s Eve.”
“The song is about being vulnerable and asking someone what they’re doing with the hopes that just maybe they will spend arguably the most important night of the year with them. But if they don’t want to spend this incredible evening with you, don’t fret. Take your power back. Make your own plans with people who value you and want to celebrate with you.
It’s important to be vulnerable but also to be strong and stand in your own power and self worth. Loving someone is beautiful but if it’s not reciprocated, sometimes we feel broken. When that happens, it’s time to create your own story and realize that you were never broken to begin with. It was just a temporary feeling.”