Premiered as a London Jazz News exclusive on 11/25/2021.
With music from the new album Intimate Strangers, this video was filmed at the heart of Luanda’s Island forest, directed by Fradique, one of the most exciting and talented voices of Angolan Cinema and produced by Geração 80. I feel incredibly honored for having his vision complement the music I created together with Sofía Rei, Aubrey Johnson, Matt Mitchell and Qasim Naqvi, with words by Emmanuel Iduma.
Here is what Fradique says:
“It was an absolute pleasure to do this video. The pace of the song and the lyrics are truly inspiring for me as a filmmaker. As if a tree is slowly bursting out of the earth, the song carries a peculiar floating weight that defies gravity. Visually I wanted to bring the setting of an old forest fable into the video and combine that with an everyday working-class tale – the carwashers. It was shot in the old forest of Luanda’s Island, a space abandoned by the city, where people still come looking for answers among carwashers, religious cults and the old trees.”
The single “For You I Must Become a Tree” is out today Friday November 26th, on all platforms.