Thea Gajic directs a heartwarming promo for singer-songwriter Mychelle.

The video opens with a single dad - played by Michael Balogun - juggling the cooking and washing up on his birthday, appreciative of the well wishes via text message, but obviously lacking the social excitement he is longing for.

That all changes when his friends shop up and throw a surprise birthday party, helping lift the mood and celebrate the day the way it should be. It's a simple concept done well, and offers an optimistic and joyful message. Plus what we all need right now... a happy ending.

Thea Gajic explains that her idea for the video was the result of combining two separate briefs that Mychelle had in mind. "We wanted joy to be a through thread of the video to match the feeling the song evokes while also leaning into the lyrics - which actually have a more sombre meaning," she says. 

"I wanted to focus on community and the joy we create when we show up for each other - amidst this though, we can still feel quite lonely. Especially if we are going through a transition period. I spoke to Michael, our lead, about imagining if this was the first birthday he was celebrating without his partner - as a single dad - and what feelings they may evoke.

"I have a lot of close male friends - lots who are fathers too - and so wanted to explore that narrative as opposed to it always being a single mother situation. How do men deal with parenting pressure? And feelings of aloneness? It’s something we either don’t see or don’t feel they have a right to because of how hard mothering might be. I wanted to dip into that a little and see what came out of it. 

"In the end though, when Michael sees his son asleep - he realises he isn’t actually alone and a piece of him is with him all the time - despite how difficult things might get. Ultimately, the tightrope he is on, isn’t walked on alone."