My Experience As A Hired Guitarist In A Music Video Shoot

So I’ve performed and I’ve recorded covers, but being in a professional music video certainly wasn’t something I had in mind. When I got a DM on Instagram asking if I could be the guitarist in a music video the following day, at first, it didn’t sound too legit or serious, but hey, opportunities don’t come every blue moon.

Note that the title says I was a ‘hired guitarist in a video’ and not a ‘session guitarist’, because I didn’t contribute to the track at all nor played live during the recording. I was simply asked to be a background character in the video to make it come alive haha. As far as I know, the drummer was also a guest who was paid, but the bassist was the singer’s husband, and the keyboardist is her close friend, so I can’t comment as to whether they contributed to the official track.

This is definitely the longest I had to wait between an article idea and actually being able to publish it. The recording date for this video was about a month and a half ago (March 9, 2024), but the official release of the song wasn’t until now (April 19, 2024). Due to privacy agreements with all involved, I couldn’t share any pictures and such until now, but I’m so excited to share it with you all!

Here is “What Is Too Difficult For You?” by Toyin Crandell (previously Toyin Dada).
You can listen or download the song here: http://linktr.ee/WhatIsTooDifficultForYou

My Background

Here’s a little bit of background if you’re new to my blog. I picked up guitar in 2020 to pursue my childhood band dream of playing in a band on stage. I loved anime and Japanese music, so that’s the genre I was focused on. Over the next 3 years, I learned guitar, put a rookie anime cover band together, started this blog to help promote us, and was documenting my whole journey on my Instagram, @key2nostalgia.

But 2023 was a big transition year for me. I grew up in the Seventh-Day Adventist church which is quite legalistic and built on some false doctrine, so while I knew the bible and loved God’s law, I didn’t understand or believe the true gospel. But as my singer and I got closer, she told me she was ‘spiritual’, and that had me doing a lot of research about demons and witchcraft, things I was mentally aware about, but didn’t truly believe in nor understood how they worked in our world.

Suddenly, everything hit me, especially how dark this world was and what hour we were in. I ran back to God who I’ve been too busy for dealing with college, work, dating, and pursuing my dreams. I realized how much I’ve sinned and put my full faith in Jesus, and was reborn. I instantly lost interest in music, and since the initial band project was already done with, I didn’t mind putting the guitar down…

But my singer still wanted to give it one more go. She helped me pursue my dream and she didn’t get to sing much on the way, so I gave it one more round for her sake. We managed to make it to the biggest Japanese related stage in Toronto, Japan Festival Canada, but we both agreed we would be done after that. We went on hiatus and I kept my word to God that I wouldn’t play guitar again unless for Him

Another thing I told God was that, if we made it to 2024 (I’ve been seeing this world decay and more and more signs pop up since I was reborn. It only ramped up even more after Israel went to war in October 2023. I was so ready for the rapture to happen anytime), I would get serious about finding another church.

Having only attended SDA churches on Saturday and only hearing and seeing messed up, unbiblical, prosperity related Sunday churches, I really wasn’t looking forward to it, but I was lonely. None of my friends were Christian so I really needed a community. So just in time, in January, the pastor of a new church plant in Oakville found me on Bandmix and asked me to play at his church.

I asked him my doctrinal questions, attended a couple mid-week online church meetings, and they would even arrange a ride for me. Going that far and having to rely on people is usually something I would never agree to, but I didn’t have my usual fear or anxiety, it felt like God was really calling me there. My first day, I wasn’t planning to perform with them, but ended up in the band, and it went alright.

So I made the announcement on my Instagram, updating people on what I’m now doing and sharing my testimony. I was happy to keep using my newfound talents to serve God, and I was able to have a new church family who will keep me accountable as well. I told myself I wouldn’t share the church’s names because I didn’t want to exploit them, using their photos or livestreams to promote myself in anyway. My worship was between me, my God, and the members of the congregation.

Getting The Gig

So fast forward a few weeks, I’m here minding my business. I was thinking church would be the end of any musical pursuits and I could just get comfortable, working on skills I’ve been neglecting like playing by ear and improvising, not dealing with the pressure of gigging and recording. I’ve already fulfilled my dreams so it’s not like I’m trying to end up in a touring gospel artist’s band or anything. I was happy taking it easy and just playing with people at church each week.

Then on March 8, what was seemingly a regular Friday afternoon, I get an Instagram DM request. I rarely get them, or when I do, it’s someone asking if I wanna pay to promote or to be an affiliate for their brand, but this one was different. The message read “Hey! This is a long shot but are you available a music video shoot in Toronto?! Not even sure if you’re in the area? It’s 5:30 to 8:30pm EST.”

From that message alone, I was already thinking “no” because…I’m definitely not ready for something that very evening, and I also didn’t know what kind of music or anything. As stated earlier, if it’s not for God, I’m not interested. But being a blogger and knowing what it’s like to be ignored when you message someone, I do my best to reply to everyone regardless.

So I replied “Hello, I live in Toronto, but I don’t really do last minute things like that ^^” What’s it about?” And she clarified that it was tomorrow, money is involved, and it was for a Nigerian gospel song. I’m not Nigerian btw, but everyone at my new church are Nigerian immigrants, so it wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory.

I did try to ask for more specific details, like where in Toronto, as Toronto is a very big place and I don’t have my own car. She was also being quite secretive about the song and artist, which is fair, but what if the song sucked? What if it wasn’t even biblically or doctrinally accurate? When you’re an ‘up and coming musician’, your reputation is so fragile, and the internet isn’t very forgiving either ;____;

I tried to gather all I could before making a decision, because once once I say “Yes”, I never ghost or cancel. I’ve been ghosted myself by exes, potential bandmates etc, and it’s just really trashy. It’s rare emergencies pop up, but I let that person know asap and keep them updated on the situation, as I may still be able to make it.

But ultimately, after learning all I could beforehand, I considered that it was a gospel song, a great opportunity as a musician and to make more connections, I could do my usual twist out as a last minute hairstyle, and them being quite desperate to reach out to a stranger made me have compassion for them.

I totally read over the money part as I’ve never been paid, so it’s not something I think about. If I’m not passionate about something, money wouldn’t change my mind either, but I was actually getting more interested in this. I did let her know about my concern for Uber fees as I had equipment and it was going to rain, and then she she reminded me of it, and it was a no-brainer from there. I’m in!

Prepping For The Gig

After I agreed, the recruiter immediately sent over the track and the name of the artist, which was someone I never heard of before. Honestly, I don’t know much gospel artists outside of the handful of bigger artists I grew up with like Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, etc.

I took my first listen to the track, which I assumed was the final result. The composition was good, but the singing was a little shaky, and the track definitely needed better mixing (it got too loud and such at times), but after the 2nd listen, I was feeling it, and was looking forward to being a part of it. I’m still kinda looking at this whole thing as a school project, just a group of people and a camera man, the average MV thing. If it was a big production, they definitely wouldn’t be reaching out to people last minute on Instagram, you know what I’m saying?

I then got a call from the recruiter I was messaging to share and confirm any details. She made sure I knew I was playing an electric guitar, not acoustic, and she shared the colour scheme to wear (black, beigh, earth tones), so I logically concluded she wanted my usual black/orange guitar, and not like my pink one.

She also told me that they only looked online for local guitarists, and it was between me and another guitarist (not sure if he responded to the DM request). My most recent post at that time was where I made my church announcement and included my testimony, so after they saw that, they said ‘i was the one’.

The singer also took a moment to call me and thank me for helping with the project. Apparently, she used to be a gospel singer, but this would be her first song release in 9 years, so she really wanted to keep it a secret until then (I still couldn’t gauge what that meant regarding her popularity, as even I know some gospel singers from my church who only sold CDs locally). I told her I loved the song and was thankful for the opportunity.

I was then added to the group chat where the song and clothing was shared again. Someone mentioned the chart of the song earlier in the chat, and I asked for them privately, I was hoping for chords but it was only lyrics and sections. So I knew I would have to spend a little time learning the chords by ear.

The singer then told everyone that we were encouraged to take photos and videos beforehand, but no photos during the shoot, and we are not to share them anywhere until the song was released. I then messaged her privately, asking if I could take my own photos for my socials/blog, and that I won’t mention her name or include any revealing information about the release, and she said that was fine with her. (Better to ask in advance then make things awkward or get in trouble later).

I immediately started looking for black, beige or white ‘earth-based’ clothes, and I realized all I got was black and bright/pastel clothes. A lot of my older church clothes was quite tight after the pandemic, but I thankfully had a stretchy simple dress that I had yet to wear. I didn’t know how long the day would be or what angles would be taken, so I liked that no cleavage was showing. I still threw a lace cardigan over my shoulders to make it a lil more classy. I added the green hairband as an additional pop of colour and to avoid my hair blending in with a black background like what happened in this cover.

I certainly wished I had more options or more guidelines. The church I grew up in was always skirts, dresses, and heels for ladies. I know whiter or more modern churches are okay with jeans, sweaters and sneakers, but if this is a Nigerian MV, then I was thinking they would still dress closer to my old church did. I didn’t wanna overdress and overshadow the singer, but also didn’t wanna underdress and look crusty in a worship song, so the simple black dress was the best I could do.

After I finished packing my bags, I then spent the last hour or so before bed reviewing the songs I had to play for church on Sunday, and figuring out the chords for the song of the MV. They didn’t give me any chord charts, and even if I wasn’t playing live at all, I still wanted to look like I was really playing the song. I wasn’t going to end up on Stevie T’s ‘Guifakest’ videos, that’s for sure haha.

Day of the Shoot

I took an Uber and arrived at 5:35pm. I walked in the same time as other participants. As we got into the room, there was clearly a disturbance of sorts. The lady who owned the place seemed pissed and was talking to some members about drums. Apparently, no drumming is allowed (Toyin told me later that it was apparently in very small fine print). The artist had yet to arrive with the rest of the equipment, so we all had to wait to see what would happen.

After the artist and the owner talked, plans had to be changed. They ended up finding a venue available the same night just a few minutes away….but it wouldn’t be available until 8pm. Thankfully, there was a bar next door to the other venue and they were okay with us chilling there in the meantime. So we all packed up and headed over, I got a ride with the Toyin’s mother and another lady who was also visiting from out of down.

The new address (100 Symes Road) sounded familiar, so I looked it up and it was definitely the same building where Toronto’s first parkour gym, ‘The Monkey Vault’ was located. I’ve been there about 5 times as parkour was an interest of mine. I was annoyed cause just as a had a friend to go with me every other week, they closed down permanently ;____; So while I’ve never been to a bar, and may have been more nervous about a video shoot, the place felt warm and nostalgic, despite the change in scenery.

Us chilling for an hour and some was actually so good for everyone. I initially felt that most people were kinda cold and uninterested in any kind of discussion with me (which is fine. From the group chat, it was clear most of them seemed well acquainted with each other whereas I’m some stranger brought in just for that day), but the singer told me to join her table and I got to actually engage with her and some others. She had to run around quite a bit, getting everyone drinks and ordering pizza, so I ended up hitting it off with the lady who was beside me.

Toyin then had everyone gather in the corner of a bar (by the barrels in the photo) so we can run through the songs and sing together for the first time. We got to get more into the song at this point, work on the lyrics and the bumpiness during the bridge. The crew recorded some BTS clips here. Though there were other customers, they quieted down as we sang and didn’t seem to mind <3 We did some prayer, and a couple people shared their testimony as well, which made us feel more united.

Then pizza arrived, I just had a slice and sat back with the same girl. Toyin hung with us a bit, asked how I started playing guitar, and I shared my background with my anime band, but then being born again and being uninterested in playing again unless for God, being recruited for the church and them finding me through that, and how I’ve been quite lonely before then. She shared her own testimony, evangelizing and playing her African drums at York University and how people she knew avoided her as well aha

And before we knew it, it was finally 8pm, so we all gathered our stuff and quickly headed over~

Setting Up for The Shoot

I and the girl I was talking with were one of the first ones in the room. The room was on the 2nd floor and down the hall, so it took a while for others to come in with their equipment. Our equipment included lights, speakers, cameras, instruments, and more. I think only around this point did it start to hit me about what a high production video this will be.

Us musicians started prepping first, the drummer obviously needing the most amount of time to put her whole kit together. I didn’t have much, so I helped with opening and setting up the mic stands (random, but it’s funny seeing others try to figure it out. I didn’t think it was that complicated ^^”).

A few other hands moved things in the background, covered up the mirror, moved some tables and accessories. Some guys knew how to set up the background coloured lights and get the PA system going. Others sat around and I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t wanna mess with expensive equipment and break anything if I had no idea what I was doing haha.

Toyin and the camera crew then spent a long time figuring out where to place the instruments. I can tell she was envisioning a circle like the videos I’ve embedded below, but we ended up as a semi-circle. They then had all the singers (people with their own microphone) and worshippers (anyone else in the background) gather around us. Some switching and moving people around to ensure they can be seen. Based on the position I was in and the lighting, I knew I would be in the shot most of the time *hides*

Toyin then came on the scene to share a bit more about her vision and encouraging us to give it 100% each time. She told us to empty our pockets and remove any water bottles from the scene. She also drilled in that we need to mark and return to our spots for continuity purposes, so it would appear to be one take. We then all prayed together that the song will a blessing to all those that hear it, and we got started!

Shooting The Music Video

By the time we started filming, it was around 10pm. We did a couple test shots to ensure no one was blocking each other, that the lighting was okay and so on. The singer made one last note, letting people know that they can sing along during the first chorus, but do not sing into the mics until the second chorus, to match the audio.

Then we official got started! The first couple shots were from the front, we did one shot from above with a drone, a close up shot for the singer, and then a close up shot of each area. We took breaks between each one as the videographers had to save and reset or something, and sometimes for the singer to look it over. There was one part where she kept missing her ad libs, so she wanted a couple shots to ensure she got it right on camera.

I think a couple parts that was weird for me is figuring out where to look. It’s meant to be like a worship session, kinda like the examples below where everyone is just singing, feeling the Spirit, and doing what they would normally do at church or a studio.

Honestly, I’ve only seen a couple examples thanks to songs my church sent me, but I’m too busy playing and learning by ear to really pay attention. I’ve never been one to watch MVs since I didn’t have internet at home most of my life. Only thing would be Kpop practice/choreo videos cause I was learning the dances haha Otherwise, I don’t know what most artists I listen to look like ^^”

So to avoid the camera and some awkward glances with strangers, I mostly looked at my guitar, which is what I do when performing anyways. I also sang along or smiled most of the time cause I was enjoying it. I did occasionally look up to see the singer (especially when she started going crazy, circling the room, so cute!) and at the other musicians and singers now and then.

One thing I wasn’t sure about, but was too hesitant to ask at that point is whether I should play during the intro and ending. I really didn’t hear anything in the audio clip, so I opted not to….but I did look at the bass a few times to see if he was playing or not cause we would/should be in-sync in that regard. I didn’t wear my glasses though, so I really couldn’t tell if he was moving his fingers or not. In the end, I opted not to….but in the final cut, they added guitar to the last bit -__- but the chords I would have played wouldn’t have matched with the riffs they added anyways.

Had a funny moment during recording when the drone went up and everyone couldn’t help put look at it. The singer made it clear that ‘once we start recording, ignore it, don’t look up’. So I looked up and flashed a peace sign. She saw me and found it hilarious, telling everyone how I found the loophole, cause we technically didn’t start yet XD She then told everyone let’s all look up and pose for the camera…but the drone guy wasn’t recording just yet -___- So we posed again once he was ready for us.

When we weren’t playing, I was mostly talking to the big black guy singing beside me. He was really enthusiastic and funny. The ongoing joke of the night is that he got pretty sweaty as he was wearing a jacket and a hat, and the room was a little warm, so giving it 100% was a lot for him. Due to continuity purposes, he couldn’t take off any layers after the first shot ^^” Some lady came and took off his hat, and as he put it back on, I joked that it had to be at the right angle.

And during one of our longer breaks where people can grab water and such, I asked a random lady standing near by if she could take some photos of me (for insta and this blog of course). I’m a night owl so I had energy, but I could see in my eyes I was little tired from all the standing, moving around, and engaging with new people. Thank God I was allowed to take my booties off for this haha. If I had to stand in heels the whole time, I’d be dead for sure ^^”””

At one point, they asked if anyone had any snacks. There were a couple kids on set and they were a little hungry. The day before, the singer made it clear to come fed as there would only be water, but no one was expecting such a late night. No one else seemed to have anything, so I raised my hand. Since I play outside my city each week for church, I always have a small lunch bag in my main bag with granola bars, goldfish snacks, candy and a juice box, so I offered them whatever they wanted. I’m telling yall, always be prepared! ALWAYS!!!

We then did the last two shots. One focused on the right-side where the keyboardist was. Everyone was told to be even more enthusiastic as this was their moment to shine. And then was the back section with me. Even though the singer wasn’t in this shot, she still sang and danced in front of us which was nice. Took the attention off us from those chilling and watching.

And that was a wrap! We finished our last shot around 11:20pm. Some people immediately headed out as they had kids or things to do the next day. My cousin/roommate arrived just about then to pick me up, but I stayed a bit to at least put down the mic stands and thank the singer for the opportunity (and to confirm how Id be being paid, in case she had cash in mind).

We picked up food on the way home and got inside after 12am. I sent the singer my email and she sent an e-transfer. She then asked me to send an invoice by Monday. I typed one up and sent it the same night as I still had church tomorrow. It’s just nice getting things off your list asap as you never know what could happen, as seen above.

Final Thoughts

This was definitely the most spontaneous thing I’ve done as a musician. I usually like to know all I can beforehand and have time to practice and such, but my church certainly prepared me more for last minute changes and just going with the flow.

It was unfortunate that some people came out but couldn’t stay when the time changed. While it is important to be flexible and not overbook yourself, moving from 5:30-8:30pm to 8:00-11:30pm is not something anyone would plan or expect for. Imagine if the musicians she brought were divas and made a big deal out of it and just walked out because they had another gig on a Saturday night, ya know? It just reminded me of why it’s great to be single as you can be free and flexible when people need you.

Some things I learned way after the shoot is that Toyin had a book that was being released at a video session set for March 23rd. 2 weeks before the shoot, she thought about releasing a song the same time and she composed it, got help with the lyrics, hired a vocal coach, started recording, and then organized the MV within that time. So while I thought I was a last minute add-on, most people were only told and given the song a couple days beforehand. Toyin and her family had a flight the following day, so it really had to be recorded that night.

As mentioned earlier, I didn’t play guitar at the beginning or end as I didn’t hear any, so I was just a little vexed to hear guitar was added near the end. But even if I did play, it would have been chords, not riffs. I’m also aware non-musicians don’t really notice or care, and musicians would know there’s usually 2-5 guitar tracks on one song, so hopefully no one ever picks at me about it haha

While it would have been nice having more time to prepare, to familiarize myself with the song, to add a lil more choreo, to get more affiliated with everyone, to actually do something different with my hair etc etc…I did get sick the following Monday for a couple weeks. As much as I don’t like last minute stuff, I also don’t mind it because who knows what will happen farther in the future. I definitely don’t regret saying ‘yes’, getting to experience something new, and making a few new Christian connections ^_^

But yeah, it was cool having such an opportunity, seeing what goes on behind the scenes, and just being around more Christians in a worship environment. I certainly feel…a little deceived as well, I will say. While I know most MVs are pre-recorded, I would have thought one with that kinda set up with mics, amps, and instruments was actually recorded live. There are countless ‘live’ gospel songs out there, there’s always been, but now I’ll have to second guess even the ones that seem to be recorded off the floor haha.

The day after, I made sure to thank the recruiter who messaged me. I thought I would see her at the recording, but turns out she lives in another province. Regardless, she found me and gave me the chance. I don’t want to take anyone for granted or only thank the big guys like some do.

Always thank the host for the opportunity, but also thank the sound guys, thank the bartenders, thank the other performers, and of course thank those who came out and supported you. We all are working together to put on a good event or project, and some of those people may become close acquaintances or friends in the future, or even recommend you to someone else. Never look down or look over anyone!

So that’s all from me. Hope you learned something from my experience, or even gained new ideas or perspectives incase you wanted to film your own MV. If you liked this article, follow me on Instagram for more updates on my guitar journey, or my Facebook page for updates on new articles.

Ciao~~