Her voice is potent and with purpose. And there’s a mighty message to her music, the kind of viewpoint that is rare these days. Recently signed to Warner Records — the label that put Ed Sheeran on the map — newcomer Irish singer-songwriter Stephanie Rainey has a powerful idea to share in her new video for “100 Like Me,” and much of it deals with mental health.
The video is a montage of faces of all stripes — real people with real challenges.
Rainey says that people volunteered information about their struggles in the comments on her Facebook page.
“We reached out, we asked for people to come forward who have ever gone through something that made them feel isolated or alone,” Rainey told fans on Facebook. “What seemed to come to the forefront of the response were issues surrounding mental health.”
Animated sketch-like typography and drawings reverberate throughout the video as everyone lip syncs along: messages like “Embrace the lows and highs,” “Like two different people,” “Reach out. You are not alone,” and “Be your own strength.”
Before she was a major-label signee, Rainey worked as a music teacher, after studying the subject in Cork, Ireland. When her video for “Please Don’t Go” went viral, racking up half a million views, major labels came knocking on her door. “100 Like Me” is Rainey’s follow-up. She is currently working on a full album.
“’100 Like Me’ is a song for anybody who has ever thought they were the only one experiencing a certain thing or feeling a certain way,” Rainey said on Facebook. “It’s about recognizing that you’re not alone and that you don’t have to battle within yourself to overcome everything. Look around and see that everybody is struggling with something… There are more people like you than you think.”
The song was born when Rainey was reflecting on the death of her nephew, who died at age 1 of meningitis. Rainey was a teenager at the time.
People relating to each other became a kind of therapy. You can view interviews with the people featured in the video here.
“So, talk to each other, open up and know that you’re not the only one. There is 100% definitely another 100 like you.” Maybe even thousands.
You can share your personal challenges on social media using the hashtag #100LikeMe.
