As the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down North America in March of 2020, Canadian country artist Leanne Pearson found her plans, both personal and professional, crumbling: She not only had to put her tour dates on hold and cancel her wedding plans, but also was separated from her fiance, Jordan Riley, for four months due to travel restrictions.
Apart from her love for more than four months, Pearson turned to songwriting, penning “Miles Away.” The song’s music video, which is premiering exclusively on The Boot, channels that feeling of isolation, putting Pearson in a stark white room.
Pearson accompanies herself on both piano and guitar throughout the clip: The former, she learned during quarantine; the latter will be used as her wedding guestbook when she and Jordan are able to celebrate their big day with loved ones.
“They say distance makes the heart grow fonder / But I have to wonder / Whoever said that has never been gone so long away from you,” Pearson sings, lamenting, “It’s been months, but it feels like years / You’re there and I’m here,” but professing, “I love you more each day … and I can’t wait to marry you.”
Pearson’s “Miles Away” music video ends happily, however, as viewers will see the singer and her fiance reunited at the airport. That’s only part of the story, though: The couple eloped on Nov. 24, livestreaming the big moment for friends and family from an Elvis Presley-themed wedding chapel, with the King himself (well, an impersonator) officiating and their cat, Winnie, serving as “cat of honor.”
A Winnipeg, Manitoba, native, Pearson’s first performance, at the age of four, was the song “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie. When she was 7 years old, the aspiring star joined a musical theater group; she wrote her first song when she was 10 and began to teach herself to play the guitar at 12.
In addition to her musical talents, Pearson holds a black belt in tae kwon do and a psychology degree from the University of Manitoba. She’s also passionate about volunteering, both in her hometown and her adopted hometown of Nashville.
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