Forget hitchhiking to Nashville, or hopping a plane to Los Angeles, for Dori Freeman to get her big break, all it took was Facebook. The singer/songwriter, who hails from the small, Appalachian town of Galax, Virginia, caught the ear of Teddy Thompson, and within months was recording her self titled debut, released February 5^th on Red Dirt Records.

The impeccable purity of Freeman’s voice feels like a revelation, and the remarkable depth of her lyrics belie her youth. Though only 24, she navigates the waters of love, loss, family heritage and so much more, weaving adeptly through the many facets of American music- country, roots, soul, doo-wop, Americana.

Today, Elmore has the pleasure of premiering the video for “You Say,” the opening cut from her record. The video is unquestionably minimalist, which makes way for Freeman’s vocals and acoustic guitar playing to shine. Freeman also debuts a new look that radically departs from the blonde ingénue pictured on her album cover. With a shaved head and tattoos, she emerges a woman, fully ready to take the music scene by storm with the voice that will earn her a spot among the ranks of the great female vocalists, and a keen eye for the contradictions of the human experience; “You say you can’t save me but I don’t want you to/ I’ll be damned if I need any man to come to my rescue.”

The one set piece- a plush, red velvet chair- contrasts strikingly with the cracking concrete walls of the loft, a fitting symbol for the virtuosic songstress, sprung up and stuck out from her humble, hill-country origins.

Watch “You Say” below, and follow Dori on tour through June here.