Grant Hardy introduces you to Christina Martin

By Grant Hardy

Christina Martin is a singer/songwriter from Nova Scotia whom I Interviewed for a piece on AMI This Week. She’s a talented artist who has made the choice to embrace the accessibility community to connect with audiences across the country and around the world.

When she released her new single and corresponding music video, “Stay with Me,” Christina decided to commission a described music video for the blind and partially sighted community. This is relatively uncommon but is an important way of engaging with the music scene. Often, as in this case, the content of the music video is not obvious from the lyrics of the song. Being able to discuss the latest music video with the community around you, instead of feeling left out, is really important. So, I’m thrilled Christina set up a team of people to help make this happen.

The song is catchy, and the described music video was presented at a fun accessible online event with a Q&A. But unlike a lot of described works, the video didn’t just disappear into the void after the fact. You can watch it on YouTube anytime. Since both described and non-described versions are available, you have the freedom to get acquainted with the meaning behind the lyrics, then listen to the non-described version to focus on the song once you know what’s going down.

For the behind-the-scenes coverage you’ll want to watch our feature on AMI This Week, where we chat with Christina and her team to find out why accessibility is important, what their process was like, and how they collaborated on this project.

Watching the described music video was an interesting experience that I haven’t had before. I realize just how much visual bandwidth is present, even in a music video, because of how much description they attempt to squeeze in. And most importantly, I got some insight I wouldn’t have otherwise gotten. I don’t have to feel left out about the conversation surrounding the single.

I was impressed by the enthusiasm of Christina and her team as well as how they embraced accessibility and inclusion without fear. It’s easy to hold yourself back, afraid of others’ critiques. But they were open and honest about wanting to try to make Christina’s artistry accessible, and that it’s a process rather than a destination. Hats off to the team at “Stay with Me” for giving me the first ever described music video I’ve been able to watch.

Watch Grant’s segment with Christina on AMI This Week, Monday, December 6, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. Want to read more from Grant? Search his name!