ESPN premieres Katy Perry and Alesso’s “When I’m Gone”, the first-ever collaboration between the iconic GRAMMY-nominated producer/dance artist and the pop superstar.
Shot in Los Angeles by director Hannah the official video for “When I’m Gone” premiered Monday (January 11) during halftime of the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship with Georgia vs. Alabama – marking the only time that ESPN has ever dropped a global music video within a live broadcast across its networks. In the lead-up to today’s game, “When I’m Gone” was featured in College Football programming and ESPN studio shows such as SportsCenter, College GameDay, Bowl Games and the Semi Final Games.
In the video, with a robot pet at her heels, Katy ventures into a futuristic industrial plant where she gives a kinetic performance of the dancefloor banger, accompanied by a troupe of dancers. She’s joined in the control room by Alesso as the song builds to a dizzying frenzy.
“The National Championship is the perfect stage to infuse breakthrough music into our broadcast,” said Laura Gentile, Executive Vice President, Commercial Marketing, Disney Networks & ESPN. “Collaborating with world-renowned artists Alesso and Katy Perry to create a big-time halftime experience for fans only adds to this cultural moment.”
“We are so excited to have Alesso and Katy Perry’s music video premiere in a first of its kind campaign with ESPN,” said Gabriela Henriques, Director Creative Sync & Sports Marketing at CMG. “This is a stellar example of the synergy between music and sports and how intertwined they are in today’s culture. There isn’t a better event than halftime of the College Football National Championship to debut a song like ‘When I’m Gone.’”
Katy is no stranger to major college football; she was the College GameDay guest picker in 2014 for the Alabama-Ole Miss game. She notes, “When it comes to my music videos we all know I like to push the boundaries and myself, and create unique opportunities for my fans to see them. ESPN and especially College GameDay hold a special place in my heart, so partnering with Alesso to become the first artists to ever debut a global music video within a live event on ESPN made for a perfect and natural pairing.”
“I’m so thrilled that ‘When I’m Gone’ is finally out. We’ve been waiting the whole year to share it with all of you,” Alesso said. “I’m honored to collaborate with Katy on such an amazing dance record, and with ESPN to become the first artists to premiere our music video at halftime of the College Football Playoff National Championship. I loved working with her and think this song and video came out super special.”
Stream ‘When I’m Gone’ here.