Video Premiere: KELLR & Matt Giraud of ‘American Idol’ Shine in ‘Faded’

Even alongside flamboyant contestants like Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, and Megan Joy, Matt Giraud stood out on American Idol Season 8. He even went down in Idol history as the very first recipient of the Judges’ Save, making it all the way to fifth place. Now the soulful Kalamazoo piano man has taken off in an unexpected hip-hop direction, teaming with Nashville-based electronic producer KELLR and rapper July 3-0 for a new track, “Faded” — and Yahoo Music’s Reality Rocks is premiering the video right here.

The song, co-written by Giraud and The Real World Denver cast member/singer-songwriter Davis Mallory and featuring Giraud on lead vocals, will be included on Hear My Voice, the upcoming EP by KELLR (who has worked his remix magic for Usher and Wyclef Jean). Says Giraud: “Working with KELLR was dope! His production is top-notch, and I really dig how the song turned out. Everything about the process was easy and flowed well — from the first write with Davis, to the vocal recording we squeezed in at 8 a.m., all the way to the video shoot. KELLR’s sound is unique, and he brings a very special vibe to the music scene, specifically in Nashville. This guy definitely has a big future, and I hope to work with him much more.”

KELLR additionally tells Yahoo Music: “Working on ‘Faded’ was a lot of fun, from the very first conception all the way through to the making of the video. The song’s lyric ‘cold out on these streets’ literally came to life the day we filmed the video — it was about 20 degrees outside! We all had a great time that day, though, just like we did throughout the project. I love how it all turned out.”

Purchase “Faded” here

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