Note: “Woman” contains explicit lyrics.
On Thursday, July 13, Kesha released her newest song “Woman,” which is being described as an anthem of female empowerment. The video was released, too, and if some of the scenes looked a little familiar, well, that’s because Kesha and her band shot the video in Delaware the day before she was set to perform at Firefly. The video, shot entirely in The First State, features Kesha and her crew cruising through the Brandywine Valley in a 1959 Oldsmobile where they finally arrive at Wilmington’s Oddity Bar, which opened in 2013 and hosts live music Thursday through Saturday.
Chris “Devo” Devitt, the manager at Oddity, fielded the call from Kesha’s brother Lagan Blue Sebert in early June. “He said he was the director and producer of this upcoming video. I inquired who the video was for and he said, ‘yes, uh, it’s for, have you ever heard of Kesha?’ Naturally, I was floored by his response,” says Devitt.
Although he admits to not being an “avid listener” of her music, he knew who the singer was.
Sebert mentioned that they had someone scope out Oddity and thought it was the perfect place for the video. Besides moving a few tables and speakers, the bar was ready for its close up. Sebert sent Devitt the treatment (story board) for the video and also mentioned that the video was a secret and wanted it to be kept under wraps. Devitt helped Sebert bring the video’s vision to life. The crew needed an old convertible car. “I know some guys who have access to classic cars and we ended up going with a 1959 Oldsmobile affectionately called the ‘Slobmodel’ owned by Brian Smith from The No Kill Car Shelter in Philadelphia,” he says. Sebert envisioned Kesha and her band driving down a flat road with fields on either side. Devitt took them down by the Brandywine at the gates of Ramsey’s Farm. “I rode with them down there and watched them shoot and perform,” says Devitt. Sebert also asked Devitt if he knew anyone who had a rockabilly or western look who could come on as an extra in the video. That is when Pat McCutcheon, one of the owners of Oddity, asked Kathy Clark, a regular at Oddity since they day it opened, if she wanted to be an extra in the video.
Clark has a close up in the video, and is in another scene with other ladies where they all spin around in unison as Kesha walks by. “I was told the video would have a bit of a rockabilly edge to it, so I dressed very pin-up inspired. The crew told me to look bitchy and bored,” says Clark.
Clark says she has always been a casual fan, but really appreciated how down to earth Kesha was during filming. “She was such a sweetheart to all of us—after a take, she asked if everyone was doing ok and staying hydrated,” says Clark, who even got to help do Kesha’s sister-in-law’s hair and some of the extra’s hair and make up for the video.
Devitt hopes that the release of the video will now attract more clientele to Oddity. “I will be more than happy to tell the tale of that fateful day again and again. I know the video will further bolster pride in our regular clientele and continue to nourish our sense of welcoming for all groups of people,” says Devitt.
