International phenomenon and China’s top pop idol LAY (Lay Zhang) releases his new singleBee With You today by Zhang Yixing Studio on all streaming platforms. LAY personally took part in writing the lyrics and composition hoping to convey his emotions and feelings to his fans. The hit-maker is known for integrating familiar Chinese instruments and cultural metaphors with the soul of “Western music” plus top-notch modern production techniques, mixing English and Mandarin.
The single instantly grabs your attention with opening dynamic instrumentals before going into a mesmerizing soothing melody with a rhythmic flow. The R&B sound has a reminiscing tune from the Honey era. Lyrics like “I have seen a lot of scenery along the way, and you are the most beautiful one, accompanying each other, rushing towards the same direction” tell the message of how much gratitude LAY has for his supporters who have accompanied him on the long road. This story is a gentle reminder of his journey yet magnificent celebration for how far he has come.
LAY has been on a whirlwind this last two years after joining forces with Steve Aoki and will.i.am for the 2020 hit cross-cultural collaboration Love You More, reaching #1 on the QQ Music China chart. He then released a string of hits with an album, an EP and solo singles overseas further propelling his international star power. He has been and continues to be a household name in Asia. He is one of the most beloved stars in the region with a loyal and highly engaged 51 million followers on Weibo and over 13.7 million followers on Instagram. As a solo artist LAY’s career has skyrocketed from tremendous success becoming the highest-ranked Mandopop star on Billboard 200 chart and the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60 in the US with his third solo album NAMANANA. Outside of music, he is a powerhouse in the acting world of TV and film, hosted multiple top-rated reality shows in Asia and is one of the most awarded artists in China.
Last year, LAY released the hit album LIT and its title track of the same name. The digital album made over 30 million yuan in just 7 minutes 19 seconds after its release on QQ Music in China. Most recently, he released the EP EAST that featured his renowned “M-POP” style telling a story of LAY’s spiritual growth in his career using oriental elements and symbolic identities.
Born and raised in Montreal, Stefanie Parnell is an insightful, refined, and melodically driven singer/songwriter whose music reflects a mix of ambient progressions and folk influences. Parnell sings from a place where deep-seated anxieties lie beneath the surface as she expresses her heartfelt experiences. Her music will leave you feeling comforted by the dissonant chords and melancholic lyrics.
Modern Tragedy is Stefanie’s debut EP (released October 15) exploring loss, conflict and internal struggles through moody soundscapes, mesmerizing synth sounds and enchanting vocal performances. We had the pleasure to speak with Stefanie regarding the new video for “Breathe” which you can dive into below.
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically?
‘Breathe’ was the second and last single I released before putting out my debut EP, ‘Modern Tragedy’ on October 15th. Naturally, I wanted to put out an official video for each single and given what the song is about, I figured it was (and always is) an important topic to talk about. I wanted to find a way to visualize mental illness in a clear way that would make those suffering feel less alone. I will admit, most of the video is quite dark and perhaps disturbing, so there were a few moments of worry and concern that came over me. I am hoping the video doesn’t make some viewers feel worse in any way and hopefully most people understand the storyline beyond the creepy visuals.
The reason I went as far as creating something as morbid as you see in this video comes down to my personal experience with mental illness, specifically anxiety. On several occasions when I was experiencing really intense episodes of anxiety, there had been moments where I felt like I wasn’t in control of my own body. I felt as if some sort of force was plaguing my mind with unsettling thoughts and images.
What I love about any form of art is that it’s often open for interpretation but when it comes to the video for ‘Breathe’, I am really hoping that the viewers understand the message I am trying to put across, as like I said, it is a topic that we should all continue to be talking about.
What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
When it came time to produce a music video for ‘Breathe’, it didn’t take me long to come up with a concept. It also helped to have worked with two incredibly talented individuals who I have had the pleasure of working with in the past, Lee Thorburn and Bryan Wilkat.
I wanted the location for the video to represent both calm and panic simultaneously. I think the majority of people will take a bath to relax and ease their mind and body. This represents calm. (Easter egg: I actually don’t enjoy taking baths as they make me feel panicky…ironic, huh?). The water represents panic as humans are unable to breathe while being submerged in water (assuming that of course we don’t have any diving gear, etc). Panic attacks for me – or even severe anxious episodes – have often made me feel as if I can’t breathe so that’s where I made the connection with the water.
The cloudy water with the rose pedals symbolizes a calm state of mind, although I still wanted the viewers to get a sense that something was slightly off even while portraying this specific character. That’s where the deadpans played a major role in this video. I think having shot pretty much the entire video in slow motion also helped bring the emotion to the next level.
The black eyes, dark water and rope symbolizes a panic state of mind for the same character but while undergoing a panic attack or experiencing severe anxiety. I think the choices for props/colours are pretty self explanatory while depicting the state of this character.
What was the process of making this video?
The process was slightly challenging in the early stages of developing this video. Finding the location and a time that worked for all three of us played a big part in that. When I decided I wanted a bathtub to be the only location for this video, I envisioned a very particular bathtub – a clawfoot bathtub. Ideally we were also hoping to find a bathroom that didn’t have much going on in the background and allowed enough space to work in. Thankfully we found the perfect location and the end product was better than I had imagined.
It took us a full day to shoot and a second day to put it all together in post-production. I spent approximately two, three hour shifts (total of six hours) in the bathtub to shoot both “characters”. I’m pretty sure I had experienced mild hypothermia after the first shift in the bathtub haha. The bath bombs, milk, chocolate sauce and props were thought out quite a bit and in my opinion, all contribute to telling the story. I think if I had to choose the biggest challenge for this shoot, it was getting those massive, black eye-contacts into my eyes. (You can find some fun behind the scene photos and videos on my Instagram handle: @stefanieparnell).
As one half of Toronto, ON’s alternative duo, USS, Human Kebab’s DJ career has taken him across the world over the past decade. When he’s not scratching records while standing on his head on a stage, Human Kebab can be found scouring the world for the best rock and alternative remixes and blending them into his weekly smashup SuperSonic on Mixcloud.
After sitting on the lyrics to “Pencil Embezzle,” the latest single from Human Kebab’s Slap That AskEP for well over a decade, inspiration was found in a track by DJ Croker who gave his seal of approval for Human Kebab to rap over the track. Fellow collaborator Vice Locker got a hold of our tune and added parts, arranged and mixed it to bring the song over the top.
Roni Bar Hadas is a singer-songwriter based in Tel Aviv. Beginning her musical journey as a classical musician, she felt the need to create her own original work and began to pursue the freedom and courage missing in her experience as a classical singer. After years of playing with various bands, Roni burst onto the scene with her globally acclaimed debut album, Calm the Beast, last November.
New single, “Fear,” explores themes of self-love and healing. Blending pop, soul and alternative R&B, and produced by Roni’s partner Maor Alush, it’s a song about liberating yourself from self-criticism and fending off the fear that still creeps in sometimes.
Multi-disciplinary artist Ellyn Woods based in Montréal creates raw and vulnerable material that connects with audiences and fellow artists alike. Her art and music are a direct reflection of her love for nature and all things organic.
Woods’ ability to effortlessly weave personal experiences into her music, combined with her soft voice and songwriting instinct, blossomed into a new collaboration with BAILE. “Follow” consists of a couple layers of pads, some sampled piano and an 808 bass sitting atop some heavy-hitting percussion.
“Without faith – there is no hope, just trying to find my way home. This idea of coming home to yourself after losing yourself in a world of disillusionment. The point when you realize everything you need is already within yourself. Letting go of all that isn’t you, to rediscover who you are.”– Ellyn Woods
Melted Wings is the multi-genre musical project of Michael Wynn, guitarist and founding member of bands Trains of Winter and Vicky von Vicky. With a new album slated for 2022, Melted Wings is sharing “Capture Love,” a synth driven, 80s influenced pop track that captures the feeling of cautious optimism.
Lyrically, the song explores the melancholy of feeling down and the occasional small lights of brightness that can help you get out of the funk of these depressing times. Where “love” in this case is not romantic love, but anything unexpected that puts a smile on your face and lifts you out of a fog.
Modern Mystery 
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