NYC-based folk-pop artist and activist Rachael Sage, alongside her long-time band The Sequins have released the deeply moving and visually powerful music video for “Nexus (Acoustic)”. This is a newly reimagined, stripped-down version of the fan-beloved track from the critically acclaimed studio album “Canopy”, released last October via MPress Records. Featuring additional acoustic instrumentation and an intimate new arrangement, “Nexus (Acoustic)” is taken from Sage’s forthcoming acoustic album “Under My Canopy”. The original “Nexus” was released as a single ahead of “Canopy”. All proceeds were donated to The Trevor Project, the leading LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide prevention organisation. Written as a tribute to Nex Benedict, the nonbinary student who passed away after being beaten by school peers, “Nexus” is both a sobering and ultimately hopeful anthem for inclusivity, empathy, and collective resilience. The music video, directed with extraordinary intimacy and warmth by award-winning documentary filmmaker Nick Clark, breathes fresh life into that same powerful message. The music video The video opens on three flickering candles, a moment of stillness before the music begins. Rachael then walks out onto a stage adorned with sweeping red curtains, acoustic guitar in hand, joined by her band. As they begin to play, the atmosphere is tender and searching. One by one, a group of people enter the frame, each sitting down in silence. Between shots of Rachael and the band playing, we watch these individuals, visibly carrying something heavy, take long, anxious sighs before beginning to write on pieces of card. It is a quietly devastating sequence, capturing the inner world of people who have felt unseen, unsafe, or unworthy. The tone of the video begins to transform. One man starts applying drag make-up, his reflection a quiet act of reclamation. Others emerge in drag and more flamboyant, joyful clothing, an unfolding of identity that feels defiant. And the cards begin to change too. Picking up their pens again, people write new messages: “You are beautiful, never broken, I love you”, “You are the answer”, “Dream bigger, it’s more than you are”. As the music swells, Rachael steps down from the stage and joins the people around her, everyone smiling, glowing, finding themselves. It is a celebration of authentic identity, of community, and of the transformative power of being truly seen. Rachael Sage speaks out about the songs message Sage discusses the song, saying, “I wrote “Nexus” almost immediately after reading about nonbinary student Nex Benedict and the tragic story of their death. The horror of learning about the cruelty and violence to which they were subjected, and how the local community and their school did nothing to stop it from happening even when they had the opportunity, struck a very deep and personal chord as my first bandmate took his own life rather than come out to his parents. “All I could think of when this song fell out was the unimaginable suffering of Nex’s family, long after the headlines faded. The song recounts something very tragic, but I also felt it was crucial to draw some hope out of how we can come together. Fear and silence are best combatted by standing together and doing our best to show solidarity. By raising our voices collectively against hate, we can shift the cultural tide for the better. This song is about mourning, survival and transformation. It is about how in dark times we need and must be there to lift each other up, all the more.” “Nexus (Acoustic)” is taken from “Under My Canopy”, Rachael Sage’s forthcoming acoustic album, to be released later this year on MPress/Universal. The album promises a more intimate and elemental revisiting of Sage’s songwriting, with additional acoustic instrumentation throughout. Further details on the release will be announced soon. Advocating for safety and inclusivity Fusing her creative flair with a continued mission to uplift and advocate for LGBTQIA+ individuals, Sage has teamed up with Rainbow Mind, a pioneering charity that provides safe, community-led and radically inclusive mental health support for LGBTQIA+ people, to launch a self-designed, limited-edition collection of T-shirts, jumpers, and tote bags as part of the new ‘Take In The Good’ campaign. The initiative aims to raise vital funds while celebrating queer joy during an especially challenging time for the community. She has also recently become the first official ambassador for Rainbow Mind. Sage has performed thousands of shows across the world and shared stages with artists including Imelda May, Rufus Wainwright, Jamie Cullum, Howard Jones, Judy Collins, and most recently supporting Wet Wet Wet on tour. Highlights have included London’s Union Chapel, New York City’s Town Hall, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Dublin’s Vicar Street. Inspired as a child by British icons such as The Beatles, David Bowie and Elton John, it seems only natural that Sage has come to embrace the UK as a second home. Since founding her own label MPress Records, Rachael Sage has steadily released a slew of vibrant, dynamic albums. In addition to being a six-time Independent Music Award-winning musician and producer, Sage is also a John Lennon Contest Grand Prize winner who has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, SXSW, and toured globally from Japan to Berlin. Sage is also a visual artist and former ballet dancer who performed with the New York City Ballet. A self-described “cancer thriver,” she is a philanthropic advocate who has raised money for a wide range of causes, including Foundation For Women’s Cancer, WHY Hunger, American Refugee Committee/Alight, National Network For Youth (NN4Y), The Trevor Project, and Rainbow Mind (UK). Watch the new music video here!
