Courtney Paige Nelson releases fever-dream video for "Self Medicate"

California born and raised, Courtney Paige Nelson is a Singer and songwriter, who started her path in the spotlight competing on America's Next Top Model Cycle 23, placing top 4 and gaining enough traction and attention to shift her focus to her true passion: Music.

Back in December, when Courtney Paige Nelson released the single for self-medicate, I had nothing but praise for the new direction her sound had taken, as she empowered the entirety of her production with a strong rock undercurrent that amplified the danceable rhythms of her pop foundations, giving the whole track just the right amount of grit and edge to make the vocals come through that much more intensely.

But now that the music video is out, we get to appreciate the song on a whole different level, as Courtney no only voices but *illustrates* a little bit of what her inner world looks like when she has to be in a social situation and going through the motions in a weird haze.

Suffering from social anxiety is tough for anyone, but for someone whose talents and career have put them in front of cameras, stages and audiences the struggle can take on another dimension, as the very act of living the dream can also put her face-to-face with what feels like a living nightmare. "Having social anxiety and having to mask it when you go out not wanting to peel yourself off of the couch it’s all very personal. So of course with this video we wanted to incorporate that and show the isolation aspect of what it means to be in a public space but have a separate reality in your head. " says Courtney.

. "Having scenes where I’m stumbling through a party was important for me to show how I feel internally sometimes. The directors came up with the idea to do the newspaper shower scene and they actually built the set themselves in their garage with a makeshift shower and makeshift walls. "

As some may notice, the music video draws heavy inspiration from the Hit HBO series "Euphoria", taking a lot of visual cues in the use of light and colors to lend strength to the more dramatic aspects. The video was directed by Luke Shaw and Luke Belden, with Courtney herself acting as producer.