Kari van der Kloot Stuns with Her “Trust Exercise” Music Video [Premiere]

As a musician, Kari van der Kloot is one of the few who has the versatility and talent to take on almost any sound. Today, she unveils her new music video for “Trust Exercise” from her forthcoming album Window, due out on May 3rd via TPR Records.

The video is a lowkey affair, a studio session emphasizing the talent and range of van der Kloot and her musical collaborators. Her voice is nearly angelic, rising above the sweet sounds of the flute and piano provided by her fellow musicians. Everything operates in complete unison, illustrating her well-balanced approach to songwriting. She comes from a rich musical background, earning a master’s degree in jazz voice performance from Queens College in New York City.

Discussing the motivations and origins of “Trust Exercise,” van der Kloot states:

“Whenever something good happens to me, I have a hard time really trusting in it, like I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop or for the good thing to be taken away if I believe in it too much. So this song is about me making a conscious effort to enjoy the good things when they happen and to embrace them rather than feeling uneasy or fearful about them.

“I especially love how the intro and ending turned out for this song. We created kind of a flute/voice/synth choir and built it up layer by layer in the studio. I really wasn’t sure if it would work until we mixed it. I ended up loving how fuzzy and hard-to-grasp it ended up sounding, kind of a perfect reflection of the lyrics. Mariana Meraz and I filmed this video on Coney Island on an incredibly cold day. We definitely got the deserted beach feel we were going for!”

Throughout her career, van der Kloot has received many accolades as a vocalist and pianist. Her sound is familiar yet unique, residing somewhere between jazz and folk. Her songs are more like the compositions of jazz artists, but they still fit in well within the space of Canadian singer-songwriters. She previously released the album The Architects in 2020 and her debut full-length Seedling in 2016.

As a performer, she leads the Kari van der Kloot Quintet, which features a superb lineup of New York-based musicians. Their live show features intricately arranged ensemble playing, as well as four-part vocal harmonies. She has given many acclaimed performances over the years, all around the world. She has also performed with well-known musicians such as Seamus Blake, Kenji Omae, Lauren Falls, Elsa Nilsson, Melissa Stylianou, Ernesto Cervini, Ted Quinlan, and Mike Downes. With such a diverse skillset, it’s unsurprising that van der Kloot’s musical services are so highly in demand.

Kari van der Kloot “Trust Exercise” single artwork