We recently featured Cali Tucker as she delivered a bold and unapologetic anthem of self-identity with her empowering single, Last Name, so when we heard that Cali was back with the accompanying music video for the song, we couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves in her visual universe and share our experience.

First, let’s recap the sentiment of the song. Last Name is a powerful pop ballad that blends intimate guitar work and cinematic production. It really stands out for Cali’s soaring, stadium-ready vocal performance.

Opening with vulnerability and quickly rising into an anthem of empowerment, the track transforms Cali’s personal pain into strength. It tells the story of carving out an identity without the safety of family support. It is cinematic, and brimming with truth, and invites us to believe in our own resilience.

As for the video directed by Dustin J. Robison and written by Cali herself, it opens like the scene from a fairy tale, with pages from a book unveiling Cali reading the book, as she places it down, and rises up to share her voice. The scene evokes memories of the iconic Disney story of Cinderella.

We see Cali sweeping, gazing out of a window and then guiding a white unicorn, dressed in a stunning dress! The star’s acting is on point, emotive and aligned with the message of the song. For the second verse we see Cali covered in soot from a chimney as the wicked step sisters gossip. Cali is dressed for the ball, but as in the film, the sisters tear her outfit to shreds. We also appreciate the presence of the modern day Cali, serving as a narrator in a light blue outfit.

Bubbles circle Cali before she strikes up a match and lights the broom on fire. The star opens the doors, and transforms into a beautiful ball gown! She connects for a moment with her fairy godmother before entering a carriage, wearing a glass slipper, and arriving at the ball to hold the hand of a mysterious lover!

The visual is a cinematic masterpiece, and we love the attention to detail and the parallels between the narrative of the song and the Cinderella story! We have added Last Name to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and TIMELESS playlist once more, as we continue to explore Cali Tucker‘s growing cinematic universe!

The post Cali Tucker brings to life her very own Cinderella story with powerful and cinematic music video for Last Name appeared first on KIMU.

I wrote Reality Check on the electric guitar about ten months ago and built it in the studio with Selah / SBO. The song starts as a conversion with the universe and evolves into a trip riot anti patriarchy, pay me, daddy issues anthem. I hope you love it as much as I do.

The single art was made with Diangular. The video was made with Rob Ulitski and Alex Lord and was edited by Rob, who did a genius job, let’s be real. I worked on the After Effects with Sai and this is the result!

Here are a couple of photos featured in Paper Magazine’s interview with me, shot by Patrick Hope.

Single artwork with Diangular
Video with Rob Ulitski and Alex Lord, edited by Rob Ulitski
Editorial images by Patrick Hope
Designs featured by Ada + Nik, Ted Lyd, Dhenze

The post NEO 10Y: Oh Daddy please cash me, a-a Reality Check appeared first on KIMU.

I had this idea in my head for about four months as an idea – particularly the theme of duality between Nik and NEO 10Y – a narrative that has been running through my mind for the entirety of this project. Lots of you know how much this project has saved me, I managed to dial into my biggest regret in life – never creating music of my own and I am really grateful to the universe for allowing me to build this in the most honest way that I could. Double, as a track, obviously lends itself perfectly to this, so I spent the entire Summer growing out my hair and beard to give the effect of being in solitary confinement on Mars. I also really wanted to prove with this film that I can nail the two personalities and essentially distill them from my mind, so that you can experience what goes on in my head.

In the most raw sense, NEO 10Y saved me, and music and writing continues to save me emotionally – this is reflected in the narrative. Double is about that as a song too – there’s political references in all of the verses and hopefully relatable personal references that resonate throughout the chorus – ‘Dirt Cobain’ being a fictional character trait that has made various appearances in my work.

I have to epically thank my friend and colleague Alex Lord for his cinematography and editing skills on this, it really wouldn’t have been possible without him. We spent hours and hours on post and even though the filming day was super fun – with artist and friend Ava Fersi playing my arm double and the incredible Stefan Avanzato who is Master Barber at Dolce & Gabbana for shaving my head on filming day – something I was definitely ready for after months of growing it out. On a side note, I wanted to shave my head and regrow it all with plant power only, it already feels so much healthier because of the good karma.

So that you don’t need to do a frame by frame – unless you really want to – here are some of the screen caps from the intro featuring cameos by Sophia The Robot, Elon Musk/Space X and #45, think of it as a sequel to The Kid That Killed Tr*mp.

The post Deconstructing NEO10Y – Double appeared first on KIMU.

Fast forward to recent times, the team offered me the opportunity to work with objectively their moodiest vehicle – the Wraith Black Badge and specifically create something aesthetically contemporaneous in association with the car – as you’re about to experience – the dystopian film noir, cinematic elements between my universe and the Wraith Black Badge are truly an enchanting sonic and visual match. Also for historic reference, Hedi Slimane created this editorial back in 2010 (via Dazed) with a darker edition of the iconic vehicle.

With all of that contextualised, here’s the Sonic Film tracked by my NEO 10Y song Janis and featuring a part CGI, part live action, part performance-based adventure and a piece of creative content bringing to life the Spirit of Ecstasy, and the theme of deconstructing to reconstruct that I am really proud to share with you.

My song Janis which soundtracks this film was recently described on the radio (listen here) as “the future” which fits really seamlessly with the Wraith Black Badge, considering that during my experience driving it for four days, I can honestly say that I have never felt so integrated into technology as when I was in the driving seat of the Wraith. Next stop, transhumanism.

For additional cosmic reference, the lyrics of the song include the (rap) verse in French: “Prends le moi, subversive, protège-moi de la haine et le fait et la reine et la peur et le roi,”, which translates in this reality to “take us the subversive ones, protect us from hatred, ‘facts’, royalty and fear.” I’m happy to be showcasing the plight of the underdog and unrepresented sections of society with my artistic work and this film that takes a subversive attitude and brings it to life heroically and cohesively alongside the car. Additional lyrics from the track can be found at Genius.com.

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Janis is taken from the Disidentification: Episode 0, available to download and stream now https://NEO10Y.SPACE – on Apple, Spotify, TiDAL, Deezer and more…

This video was created in association with Rolls-Royce Cars, Wraith Black Badge.

Concept and performance by NEO 10Y / Nik Thakkar
Cinematography by Alex Lord-Walker, Calum Ducat, Phellipe Souza, Oz Thakkar
Edit and VFX by Diangular
Sonic production by hii.de
Styling and fashion Lloyd James Husband and Ada + Nik

The post Sonic Film: NEO 10Y – with Rolls-Royce appeared first on KIMU.

Portrait by Joseph Sinclair, Echo Chamber video created by me and Dan Ellyot.

Full interview, via Billboard.com
…
What is the origin of your name, NEO 10Y?

So there’s a word and construct in biology, ‘neoteny’, it means ‘the retention of childhood characteristics in the adult animal’.

On a psychological level, there is the sense of innocence and openness that gets closed off as we grow up because of the naysaying ways of the world — limiting creativity, stifling individuality etc. High-energy adults are shut down, medicated and called “puer aeternus” or told that we have Peter Pan Syndrome, which ties into so many negative stigmas. My lyrics and music and visuals are a release from that. I want to engage your inner badass.

“10” signifies rebirth and revolution, plus alphanumeric names are kinda dope (see 2Pac, swish). On a related note, my initials are also NT, and my dog is called “10”; the name works within my universe more than I could have ever imagined. Not much detail there then…

What’s the story behind the “Echo Chamber”?

I wrote “Echo Chamber” after Brexit, and after No. 45 [Trump] won the U.S. election last year — a moment when so many humans in the world realized that everything that we experience online and even in real life is often limited to a shared community mindset.

It’s about forcing yourself to break away from that, to talk to people and more importantly to listen to people. It’s also a personal song for me about my struggles with balanced dopamine levels, hypomania, technology and self-medication.

The portraits in the video show the internal monologue versus the expression of self in that sense.

As a queer person of color, do you feel a pressure provide commentary on human rights through your artistry?

I feel a responsibility to be a solid f–king role model and an intelligent, rational and visible voice in society. Privilege is scalable for everyone, in so many different aspects. There’s still lots of conversations to be had by humanity on this topic, and we’re going through a time when a lot of people are waking up to new realities.

I agree with Lana Del Rey when she said that it would have been weird to be an artist today that didn’t acknowledge the current political climate with their work.

For those just getting to know you, your last single “Amerikkka” had a graphic video. What inspired that?

Pre-election back in October, I released a three-part film where I play an Adderall-forlorn Times Square Mickey Mouse impersonator — a.k.a. America — who is sexually assaulted by, and then deletes Donald Trump by setting him on fire. There’s a lot to understand in the film, and I’m glad lots of people are taking interest to analyze its artistic and symbolic value.

Basically, I was the first artist to “end” on film — before Snoop Dogg did, before Kathy Griffin did — albeit in a more nuanced and poetic way. As with a lot of artists last year and ongoing, I was pretty upset about the situation and the societal impact that he was (and still is) having on the world and I wanted to bring those feelings to life.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

My taste in music is so vast, hence the genre-bending result that is NEO 10Y. I grew up on French hip-hop like MC Solaar which comes through in my tracks like “Janis.” I love Grace Jones for being an unapologetic subject of her own art. My number ones for narrative are Elliott Smith and Lana. Kanye West and Lady Gaga are the most inspirational humans I have ever met. If I can add in Lenny Kravitz and somehow arrange a posthumous poly-love date in outer space, that would be amazing.

So what’s next for you?

I’m working on releasing a ten-track album this fall and I want to do more live shows — it’s getting there. For the show I did in London at Soho Revue it was super immersive, so I want to create more multi-sensory experiences for my kin.

The post NEO 10Y – Echo Chamber (Video Premiere) appeared first on KIMU.

Directed by Nabil, the video for the most aggressive and uniquely raw song from Travis Scott’s album Rodeo now has an accompanying video – that couldn’t be anymore perfect. Featuring Kanye West in a role that sees him in his element – and also head to toe in Yeezy Season 2 of course. Shot just outside Paris in the woods with a castle during showroom season, the beautiful minimalism and minor VFX really bring the concept to life. Definitely a cultural highlight this week. Oh and if you’re wondering? The masked man is Mos Def. Legit.

In other Yeezy related news, Yeezy Season 1 with adidas has arrived in stores, everywhere and sold out in a fair few too. Some personal highlights from the collection below. www.adidas.com/kanye

The post Travis Scott and Kanye West in POYG appeared first on KIMU.

I don’t want to spoil it with the one iconic GIF that is going to live on the internet forever (so it is under the cut). Here’s the video for Lana’s High By The Beach. It’s pretty as fuck and the moment is symbolic on so many levels. The video is directed by Jake Nava and produced by Ben Cooper who are frankly genius because the opening shot, the post-moment beauty shot and the ideals of the camera work and the looped sequences are beyond words. Congratulations guys.

The post Video: Lana Del Rey’s High By The Beach appeared first on KIMU.

David Guetta has hands-down been one the of legitimate pioneers of commercial brand collaborations in music – Coca-Cola, the Doritos partnership with Rihanna and now his most luxury brand collaboration to date – and a perfect fit – MUMM House of Champagne.

The new found collaboration includes the debut of the song and music video for Guetta’s track Dangerous – taken from his upcoming sixth studio album, Listen – with vocals by Sam Martin.

In the Formula One themed short film/music video (MUMM is a F1 sponsor), directed by genius Jonas Akerlund (Hold It Against Me, Paparazzi, Telephone and various film projects including Define Beauty with Shaun Ross) David Guetta debuts his acting skills alongside James Purefoy (playing the rival driver). It features cameos from Romain Grosjean and at the end of the race we see the podium moment celebrated with the iconic MUMM Formula One Jeroboam.

An additional experiential element for the video includes the world’s first double screen experience with a music video allowing you to use your mobile phone to interact with the video in a unique, revolutionary way. By entering a code into the phone, a connection is made with the laptop playing the music video. This instantly unlocks a new piece of video content from the track made especially for two screens. The experience is further enriched by allowing you to place their phone on several ‘hot’ spots over the screen to discover and unveil several interactive features between the two screens. Highlights include Guetta calling you, walking on and off screen, oh and the rather incredible finale. It’s a completely genius piece of innovation, congrats MUMM. Instructions under the cut.

To view David Guetta’s ‘Dangerous’ video with the double-screen experience:

Click here on your desktop or laptop to get your viewing access code
Connect to dg.lc using your smartphone
Enter the viewing access code into your smartphone and follow the onscreen instructions to connect it with the music video
Press play on your smartphone and the music video will start revealing exclusive previously unreleased scenes and new characters (For a better experience ensure you have 4G/Wifi connexion and a recent browser)

The post David Guetta for MUMM appeared first on KIMU.

Cultural re-approrpation at its finest. Directed by Jesse Kanda, here is the brilliantly intelligent societal commentary video produced as a 3D render for Kanye, FKA Twigs producer Arca’s Thievery. The outstanding track is taken from the forthcoming Arca album ‘Xen’ available November 3rd via Mute. You can catch Arca in London on 27th November at the ICA.

The post Arca – Thievery by Jesse Kanda appeared first on KIMU.

It was the first track teased from the collaboration mini album and now Röyksopp and Robyn’s Monument finally has a video. Directed by Max Vitali and produced by the Creators Project, the video sees a cyber aesthetic fused with an almost normcore sense of styling.

The post Music Video: Monument by Röyksopp and Robyn appeared first on KIMU.