In collaboration with KLKTN andMIYAVI, the music start-up and multi-faceted Japanese rockstar has released an NFT collection accompanied with the official music video for “Hush Hush” today on MIYAVI’s official YouTube channel. Presented by the NFT platform,KLKTN, which focuses on cultivating unique, artistic experiences between fans and their favorite artists, the music video has fans raving about the powerful production and innovative artistic expression.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MIYAVI NFT COLLECTION HERE

The iconic pop-rock song was released in 2021 as a track on MIYAVI’s 13th studio album, Imaginary, featuring the K-Pop megastar, Kang Daniel. Artistically, MIYAVI has always looked to expand the intersection between technology and music for his fans, gaining recognition as a visionary and Web3 NFT experimental creator, so his long standing partnership between him and KLKTN was inevitable for this highly anticipated music video.  

The new collection is the final piece from a successful line of drops in the last few months being conceptualized and embedded from within the visually stunning special effects in the music video. The NFT collection is augmenting the music video viewing experience by creating hidden elements within it that allow fans to have another touchpoint in the MIYAVI alternate universe. Fans will have the opportunity to buy three ‘Special Edition’ NFT’s – two being 3D animated artwork while the other is a special alternative ending version for the music video, which fans can find via a QR code hidden in the peripheral view of “Hush Hush”. This assemblage of multimedia art includes special perks exclusively found on KLKTN’s platform, such as virtual meet and greets with MIYAVI, a photocard, as well as unseen video commentary on the process and ideation of the music video.

With the NFT dropping today, the rock icon has previously released multiple drops with this emerging digital collectibles platform that utilizes the energy efficient FLOW blockchain. These digital collectibles were first made available in the “Month of MIYAVI,”  in January 2021 to celebrate the singer’s 20th anniversary as a solo artist. Previous projects include: MIYAVI KLKTN Pass, Moments, ArtKards, Kodex, and MIYAVI TELECASTER® Guitar NFT.

“I am excited that the Hush Hush music video is finally coming out. I’m always looking for ways to explore new technologies to showcase my artistic expression. Partnering with KLKTN allowed me to continue to evolve as a visual artist by using new mediums to connect with my audience. To celebrate the release of Hush Hush, we created exclusive content and perks dropping only on KLKTN with more to be released in the future.” – MIYAVI

As “Hush Hush” became an instantaneous hit with fans around the globe, a Korean version was released by Kang Daniel featuring MIYAVI. Achieving similar success as the original version, it also became an original soundtrack for the Korean drama, “Rookie Cops”, which recently aired on Disney+ starring Kang Daniel himself.

The production for the music video and NFT assortment took place during the middle of the pandemic while traveling was largely restricted around the globe. MIYAVI and Kang Daniel filmed the music video separately in Los Angeles and Korea with the recording process and ideation of the artwork culminating from Japan. Yet, the two separate filmmaking locations for the music video blended together seamlessly–thanks to the advancement of technology and the global team working tirelessly to sew the scenes together.

The music video sets the scene with an other-worldly landscape as MIYAVI gives fans a glance into the life of being a public figure. Throughout the video, viewers feel as though he is being watched by Kang Daniel, who embodies the shadow of the men and women across the internet haunting, following, and judging his actions. After multiple attempts of MIYAVI trying to escape a world filled with scrutiny, the eyes and judgment embodied by Daniel catches up to him–leaving the vibrant singer voiceless. Despite the trivialities and challenges that have been thrown at him, the public figure choses to pick up another voice, his guitar, as a means to continue to express himself. Throughout this scene,the video subtly flashes the names of his fans, offering another layer of their support during this pivotal conclusion to the story. This powerful production embodies the pressure society can put on a person and the power of self-expression.

“We wanted to celebrate MIYAVI’s 20th anniversary by creating a close-knit community for the fans to connect and explore MIYAVI’s music through new innovations and technology. After some thinking, we realized the perfect way to do so would be through limited edition NFT’s related to the music video. With KLKTN partnering with MIYAVI, we were able to create an amazing assortment of Easter Eggs that fans can find throughout the music video and by focusing on sustainability with the collectible pieces, we are creating one-of-a-kind experiences for the fans.” – Jeff Miyahara, Chief Creative Officer at KLKTN

Recently, KLKTN collaborated with global pop star Kimbra, a two-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist and Kevin Woo, a Korean-American singer-songwriter as well as other top Korean talents such as R&B Artist Junggigo and A-listers Gang DongWon and Kang HyeWon. New artworks will continue to be released in the coming weeks exclusively in the curated platform as they set to be at the forefront of Asian NFT culture.

The global pop star, LAY (Lay Zhang) has delighted his army of fans with his newest single release, “JIU”, available now on all streaming platforms. The occasion today is the 10th anniversary of Lay Zhang’s debut. The artist commemorates these years when he worked with his EXO brothers with this song. He wrote the song to celebrate this milestone as a toast to his brothers, and his fans hoping to see a better future.

Listen in here:

Over the past few years, LAY has dropped a series of hit songs and an album in 2020, shooting the talented musician to worldwide fame as a solo artist. Known for his charismatic personality and hypnotizing voice, “JIU” falls nothing short of the high expectations that have been set by both himself and followers. LAY’s most recent release was a global collaboration with American hip-hop artist 24kGoldn on the single “Dawn to Dusk,” which received over 2 million streams on Spotify alone.

Opening up with short yet heartfelt conversations between him and his former members from EXO, a South-Korean mega-band, “JIU” instantly sets a tone of nostalgia and reminiscence. Each sincere conversation and member’s sincere call of his name is a representation of love and care LAY and his brothers so strongly share with each other. LAY’s pure and mesmerizing voice along with the R&B tune in the background continue the reminiscing theme with simple drum beats and soothing flow. With elegant, symbolic lyrics, LAY cleverly plays with the word “JIU” to draw a connection between wine and eternity. Centered around the concept of time and eternity, this story is a serenade of one’s life journey, eternal love, and perpetuity. The song is produced by LAY and is noticeable with his lyrical R&B melody. The lyrics such as “I have a glass of wine/Toast to our passion forever” is a testament to the profound impact of friendship between the EXO brothers and hits the heart of fans.

LAY has been on a whirlwind the 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 13.9 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.

In 2020, 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. In 2021, he released an 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.

Strange Neighbors first unleashed their jangly power pop onto the New York scene in 2018. Founded by vocalist Aidan and drummer Tracey, they soon brought guitarist Zach into the mix through a Facebook ad. It remains one of the three all-time positive outcomes of social media. Their new single and video for “Window Watching,” is a nostalgic and vibrant track with Indie vibes steadily laced throughout. The video shows the true essence and nature of the band which further brings the song to life.

After a few early singles and some lineup changes, the band brought along bassist Dana to record their debut album “How to Human” in early 2019. Taking influence from the power pop and pop punk of the band’s youth, the album’s eight songs are characterized by sparkling guitars, intricate bass lines, rock solid beats and impassioned vocals, a mix of the old and new.

The band followed up with the “Illuminasti” EP in 2020 and marked their live comeback as a live act with the single “Mystic Piers” in July of 2021. They have continued recording, writing and performing into 2022. Since their formation, Strange Neighbors have played at popular New York City haunts like Piano’s, The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory, and more.

Raimie is one of our favorite emerging artists for 2022 and he shows no sign of slowing down. The artist who recently released his new single and video for “Insecure,” is making a splash at the top of his game. A self-defined “hip-hop outsider” he delivers a pensive confessional track that will have you intrigued. Born in New Jersey and currently Los Angeles based, Raimie creates a sound and vibe that is truly his own.  We had the honor of speaking with Raimie as he dives into his new video for “Insecure” below.

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

Ultimately, I chose to visualize Insecure because I knew that it needed something extra, something special to help people not just hear about the trauma and hard times but to see it firsthand as well. I think the visual experience really enhances the vulnerability and sincerity of the track and gives viewers a different lens for understanding the song itself. My main goal with this song was to relate to others who have felt similar emotions to the ones portrayed, and so it was important for me to have the listener/viewer be able to actually see me go through the emotions the song details.

What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

I’m really happy to say that visually there were really no external influences, just myself and KHaus Studios, who shot the visuals. And that was really important to me – that the inspiration came strictly from the combination of hearing the song and letting our imaginations dictate the visual storyline. I needed that because this song is me, genuine and raw, this song is really an encapsulation of the extremes I often feel emotionally. So in the approach, I knew I had to captivate by sharing my story and my story only. Khaus did an amazing job helping turn my ideas into a visual and we worked seamlessly together finding the locations and creating the concepts of the story with them in mind. Ultimately, the goal was just to be as authentic as possible, and I truly feel like the result was the product of staying true to my vision.

What was the process of making this video?

The process was amazing, it was such a blessing to be working with KHaus because of how our ideas aligned. We started with general storyboards, ideas, sketches, and concepts for how to approach capturing the essence of the song. We nailed down a couple of locations and figured out wardrobe, accessories, props, etc. A few scenes really stand out to me as the perfect culmination of my and KHaus’ ideas coming together. One of those would be the rain room, which added a really cool tinge of nuanced sadness to the video. I think rain or more generally stormy, cloudy weather really portrays the concepts of the song, and shooting that scene was a special experience. The whole process felt seamless, and was done over one day, probably about 10 hours of shooting and traveling to the different locations.

NGHTMRE and SLANDER have produced numerous hit tracks over the past few years, including “Gud Vibrations” in 2016, which eventually led to the creation of their record label, aptly named, Gud Vibrations. With both artists seen as festival mainstays, it comes as no surprise that they have taken over various festival stages around the world including Ultra and EDC and embarked on their own global tours.

“Fall Into Me” is a true festival classic, incorporating signature elements from each artist, including NGHTMRE’s meticulous production skills and SLANDER’s distinctive sounds with the juxtaposition between peaceful piano chords and melodic bass in the background. Adding to this, the powerful music video takes the audience through a peculiar journey of a man and his perplexing dream of a woman. The unique 2D animation style brings out the retrospective context with constant scene change to showcase flashbacks of the dream. Perplexing at first, the ambiguity of the characters’ relationship gradually unfolds itself as the story releases little hints of explanation as it progresses. With each scene change matching the beats of the music perfectly, the music video is flawlessly assimilated with the music. Throughout the scene, the theme of “fall into me” is also shown both literally and figuratively as both characters fall into space repeatedly and spark chemistry whenever their eyes meet. Altogether, this exquisite production highlights the novelty, evocative, and mysterious elements NGHTMRE and SLANDER’s music embodies.

NGHTMRE performed twice at Ultra Music Festival 2022 and will headline his ‘NGHTMRE: INTO THE DRMVRSE’ performance at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater April 15 in Morrison, Colorado with support from Kill The Noise, Dimension, Knock2, and Nitepunk. Tickets can be found at https://nghtmre.com/pages/tour.

The partnership between Dylan Matthew and SLANDER became a worldwide phenomena in 2020 with the remix release of his original acoustic soundtrack “Love is Gone,” racking up more than 17 million views on YouTube and millions of streams on Spotify. However, the American singer had yet to work with the iconic productions created by NGHTMRE, endlessly teasing his fans on social media up to the track’s release date with small previews of the song. This collaboration is guaranteed to highlight each artists’ signatures as well as the extraordinary, newfound relationship between the three. Along with “Fall Into Me,” the singer-songwriter is currently wrapping up his fifth EP, which will be releasing later this year, as well as developing a joint album and tour with SLANDER. With his ability to perform on a variety of different levels and his vocals capturing the attention of millions, Matthew has become one of the most watched artists of the year.