Adaline - "Ghost" - Official Music Video

From the album "Dear Illusion" out now! https://awal.ffm.to/dearillusionadaline
As heard on "Wynonna Earp" Season 4 episode 2
If you're in a dark place and are looking for someone to talk to, please reach out to these organizations
LGBTQ - The Trevor Line - 1 (866) 488-7386
Centre for Suicide Prevention 1 (833) 456-4566

Shot in Joshua Tree and Malibu, California, the video follows an epic trek across the desert into the ocean where Adaline disappears paralleling the lyrical material of an exhausting journey through a powerful heartbreak in limbo, until it finally fades away.
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"Dear Illusion," especially the ballad "Ghost," reveals Adaline’s journey of coming to terms with her identity, which in turn lead to an in-depth exploration of sexuality and the teachings of the church.

“I’ve been keeping a part of myself under wraps, and the secrecy has affected my emotional wellbeing, relationships, and my music. I felt I wasn’t writing with the transparency and vulnerability I was accustomed to. “Ghost" is about my experience of falling in love for the first time with a woman. The album as a whole was created during this relationship. I wanted to be brave enough to use female pronouns, not only for my personal growth, but also so that queer women could directly see themselves in the song without having to change any of the language.

I knew that writing in honesty would lead some difficult conversations with important people in my life, but I needed to be transparent and vulnerable. I wanted ballads "Ghost” and "Over You" to speak to the LGBTQ community within an inclusive narrative that explores the heartbreak that happens when two people in love, regardless of gender, end something meaningful. Far too often, society projects an overt sexuality upon this community, and in so doing dehumanizes them. The reality is, all people, irrespective of orientation, experience the pain of broken promises, betrayal, fractured relationships, and intense loneliness.

Writing this record subsequently sent me on a spiritual journey to reconcile the conservative faith of my childhood with the bisexual woman I am today. I am the daughter of an evangelical Christian minister. I was raised in a loving, traditional, religious home. Today I am a musician surrounded by a very progressive, left-leaning social circle. I’ve lived on both sides of the fence. For years I have been exploring a space I often refer to as "the middle". Within my secular community I interact with people who have experienced a lot of pain at the hands of the church, and often express hostility, and sometimes hatred. I frequently find myself defending the charitable and kind hearted nature of true Christians, all while acknowledging some shortcomings of the church. When I am around the Christian community, I often rise to defend my more liberal friends and queer communities against gross misconceptions, simplistic understandings, and negative assumptions. It is harmful stereotyping on both sides.

When it came to my sexuality, I found myself yet again in "the middle". I wasn't gay, but I wasn't straight. I found myself not quite fitting into either circle. I starting studying Queer Theology and ancient views of sexuality to better understand and contextualize passages of scripture in the Bible that appear to condemn homosexuality. My study directed me to a growing and compelling academic discourse that offered an alternative reading of the biblical passages that would permit freedom and love in all relationships. Recently a friend said to me "Hold on...gay Christians, can they even exist?" It does seem like a contradiction, although it shouldn’t be. These people have an astounding faith because they remain committed to their beliefs even though they are rejected by most of those in religious society. Sadly, the suicide rate in teens who are religious and gay is devastatingly high. Although the culture is changing, there still remains little acceptance of homosexuality within the majority of religious communities. It seems that people are being asked to either give up being gay, or to give up being Christian.

I feel that somehow, I can be a bridge that connects those who think they occupy different, disconnected worlds. However, when people in either world stop listening, seeking understanding, and reaching out, they get locked into deeply polarized, destructive positions. On the other hand, when people let down their guard, dialogue opens avenues of understanding that allow for love and acceptance to grow. In the end we discover that we all live in one world where there is enough common ground for all."

Have your own story? Write it in the comments, I'd love to know yours too