A ‘Love Five’ Around the World
Katherine C.H.E., a singer and songwriter who lives in Amagansett, has collaborated with Bakithi Kumalo, a Grammy Award-winning bassist and composer from South Africa, on a new song that continues the theme of her 2016 release, “Campfire Sessions.” With “Love Five,” however, she has added an interactive component, inviting people from around the world to submit content for inclusion in the song’s video.
“Campfire Sessions,” an 11-song solo performance, was meant to soothe listeners and evoke simpler times, she said of the album that reached No. 1 on Amazon’s folk chart and No. 2 on its singer-songwriters chart.
“I keep writing in response to the craziness in the world,” Ms. C.H.E. said last week. “My response is to try to find a way to infuse more loving energy.”
A “love five,” she said, is the gesture made by putting two hands together to form a heart shape, which she called a playful alternative to the high five. “It occurred to me when people make that gesture, that you could turn it around and do it with somebody else. I was playing around with that, and wrote a song about it.”
The song was recorded at Mr. Kumalo’s studio in Bethlehem, Pa. The bassist is best known for his work with Paul Simon, having recorded and performed with him since the 1986 “Graceland” album, featuring his now-iconic bass licks on the song “You Can Call Me Al.” He and Ms. C.H.E. have recorded previously, including on her song “In the Hamptons,” and performed together at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett last month.
“Now, I’m working on this video,” Ms. C.H.E. said, as a means of furthering the positive spirit of the song. People in South Korea, Thailand, and Colombia have committed to participate, she said, as well as residents of the South Fork and around the United States. “I want to be as inclusive as possible,” she said. “That’s the message of the song. It’s a way of connecting with people.”
All have been invited to submit video snippets depicting two people joining hands to create the “love five” sign. Video can be recorded on a smartphone, video camera, or other device, she said. Details and instructions for submitting content are at katherinechemusic.com/ be-in-my-video.
Video will be accepted through Oct. 14. Ms. C.H.E. said that the song and video will be released on Oct. 19, and will be available via katherinechemusic.com/store, iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. The video will be on YouTube.