“The song is about being super vulnerable and admitting that you’re not ok when you’re pretending to the world you are. And in the video I play a girl who crashes her ex’s birthday party and sings in his T-shirt in his shower. She is clearly not ok!!,” says Ruthie Collins about the track and video for her latest single, “Hypocrite.” “This video is definitely me stepping outside of my comfort zone and taking chances in my art. I hope people see that and are inspired to do the same!,” she adds.
Regarding Collins’ 2020 album Cold Comfort, the UK’s Off The Record noted that her work reveals “stunning, layered and complex” work, guided by “exquisite songwriting that paints a vivid and nostalgic picture.” To wit, this song continues in line with that review.
The Running Bear Films duo of Alexa and Stephen Kinigopoulos directed the clip. The sibling tandem is best known for their work with Kacey Musgraves, Joy Williams, and more. The process of making the video was a bit unusual for the Fredonia, NY-born singer-songwriter who notes, “Oh my goodness. To be honest, I was really uncomfortable watching [the completed video] for the first time. I absolutely loved what Stephen and Alexa accomplished with this video, and I was so proud of it,” says the performer who counts Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris among her inspirations. “But it was also so strange to watch myself in this kind of role. But after I thought about it more as playing a character and less of what I’d do in real life, I loved it!”