INTERVIEW + FEATURE: TRISHES 'Gaslight'

By Theresa Campanella & Fiona Grey

Even amidst the isolation of quarantine, TRISHES has released a stunning collaboration with choreographer, Kalbe Isaacson, has us captivated. Conveying the inner turmoil felt in destabilizing relationships, this piece is both provocative and captivating.

Filmed and Performed by TRISHES, Kalbe Isaacson, Friidom Dunn, Adam Lower and Alyse Rockett

Resembling psychological manipulation and distortion of one's sanity, TRISHES entrancing new release manifests the emotion felt when being gaslighted. Stepping into a very personal place for Trish Hosein, it was essential to create a music video that visually displayed the isolation and mental unraveling an individual feels in these circumstances.

As a signature aspect of TRISHES music, we anticipated the integration of a stunning dance with the music video release. “Some songs - like Gaslight - don’t feel complete without movement.” She explains, “I knew I couldn’t put it out without a visual, because I needed for the audience to see the push and pull, the struggle, physically. That’s how I’ve felt about my other movement visuals like Saraswati and to some degree Hydra. They feel incomplete without their corporeal form”.

Following her collaboration with dancer and choreographer Kalbe Isaacson, on TRISHES ‘Saraswati’ and ‘Hydra’ music videos, the two reconnected to create a metaphorically entrancing dance for the ‘Gaslight’ music video. Impeccably, Isaacson connects elements from the insanity driven 1944 movie, Gaslight, to the current state of our world.

“I can’t say enough good things about Kalbe. I adore her and any idea I bring to her, she elevates and executes with a mix of professionalism and raw emotion that I think makes the best art. When she sent me the choreography for the Gaslight choruses, it wasn’t what I had imagined. It was so loose, I didn’t understand how it would come together. But I trusted her and her vision and now I can see exactly why it was choreographed so openly. It left room for emotion to live in, and each dancer to inhabit freely.”

Completing the video during quarantine only further exemplified the sense of total isolation. With a synthesis of a choreographed framework and individual improvisation, each dancer introduced their own representation of mental chaos through a cohesive storyline.

“My goal of TRISHES is for my conflicting internal “selves” to be expressed out of my head and in the world. It only seems fitting that they do so with all the gestures available.”

We had the chance to connect with Kalbe Isaacson on her background working with trish and experience choreographing and dancing in this enthralling music video.

We’re very excited about the release of ‘Gaslight’ - it definitely made me want to dance around in my own house! You’ve done a lot of music videos alongside TRISHES….how does the collaboration process work with the two of you? Is there something special about the way you work together?

Every time Trish and I work together our process gets better and better. Usually Trish will pitch an idea to me and from there we connect the dots and create movement based off the storyline and message she wants to convey. I admire working with Trish because she is so true to who she is as an artist, that it opens up a large amount of space for creativity and exploration.

How did you connect with this song in comparison to other music videos you have worked on with Trish?

This song struck me the first time I listened to it. The emotions and lyrics sung in Gaslight are so genuine and raw, which allowed me to connect to the painful truth of TRISHES’ experience.

Is dancing at home freeing? How have you continued to be creative and continue working on your craft in these isolated and scary times?

I find joy in dancing at home because I get to express and create movement whenever I spark an idea, or an emotion arises. That’s where I come up with some of my best ideas/choreography. I’ve been keeping busy choreographing, teaching dance lessons, taking acting classes, and working on my personal goals. These isolating times have brought up a lot of emotions, but I’ve been so fortunate to have been able to use my creativity as an outlet.

Did you choreograph the other dancers in the Gaslight music video? Were you on zoom? (Explain how this process happened.)

I was incredibly humbled to choreograph on all the dancers in the music video with the assistance of Friidom Dunn. All of the set choreography was sent in a step by step tutorial. There were also moments where we had the dancers freestyle with given prompts. In order to achieve our goals with the video, we sent a detailed shot list to all the dancers to get exactly what we needed.

I think a lot of us can connect with the concept of being gaslighted - When choreographing this song, was there a dance move that exemplified the concept the most?

To me, all the choreography of the Gaslight music video was a reflection of each character’s experience of being “gaslighted.” TRISHES’ vocals and heartbreaking lyrics motivated the choreography and storytelling. If you pay close attention to the music video, you will notice objects being moved around and misplaced throughout. This was intended to not only gaslight the dancers and TRISHES, but to also gaslight the viewer.

Any final plugs or things you’re working on?

Stay tuned for the Netflix Original Movie, “A Week Away the Musical,” starring Kevin Quinn and Bailee Madison. I had the honor to work on the film as a principal dancer, skeleton crew member, as well as a dance double for one of the leading actresses. It’s a movie you’re not going to want to miss!