Our Favorite Music Videos to Feel Creatively Inspired
From new ways to use Zoom, to an endless supply of idioms, these AA+PI artists show there’s no end to their artistic creativity
Words by Samantha Pak
In an effort to bring you more joy, we wanted to share a few of our favorite music videos—both the coolest new releases and older clips from Asian American and Pacific Islander artists we think just don’t get enough mainstream play. This week’s theme: Super creative videos. Have a video you think we should know about? Hit us up at pitches@joysauce.com.
‘Phenom’ by Thao & The Get Down Stay Down (2020): Zoom done right
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down has seen members come and go since the band’s inception in 2003. But the two constants have been lead vocalist Thao Nguyen and bassist Adam Thompson, who have been with the band since the beginning. Over the years, the Oakland-based group has performed at music festivals around the country, including South by Southwest and the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco.
“Phenom,” from the group’s 2020 album Temple, as the name implies, is phenomenal. The video is a one-take Zoom screen recording featuring Nguyen and eight dancers (their plans to shoot the video in person quickly shifted when the world went into lockdown due to the pandemic.). The choreography is Ok Go-level creative with dancers “falling” through Zoom tiles, pouring water into each others’ mouths and becoming a sort of Frankenstein-type body, with Nguyen as the head. With many of us feeling Zoomed out at this point, it’s fun to see Zoom done right.
‘Safe’ by Dumbfoundead (2016): Screw your model minority myth
Inspired by the rappers he saw at a local open mic workshop, Dumbfoundead began rapping at 14. The Argentina-born emcee (real name Jonathan Park) was raised in Los Angeles’ Koreatown and gained notoriety in the local rap battle scene. He dropped out of high school as a sophomore and worked odd jobs before becoming a full-time rapper. Known for his socially conscious lyrics, Dumbfoundead started rapping to impress girls, but quickly realized music could be a tool to tell stories that weren’t being told. With his laid back beats and a flow reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar, Dumbfoundead is very much West Coast hip-hop—which as a West Coast girl myself, I am totally down with.
In “Safe,” off his 2016 album We Might Die, Dumbfoundead is here to tell you there is nothing “safe” about Asians so screw your model minority myth. Addressing the lack of Asian male representation in Hollywood, he raps, “The other night I watched the Oscars and the roster of the only yellow men were all statues/We a quarter of the population there's a room of fuckin' one percenters laughing at you.” This is enough of a mic drop, but the song really shines when you pair it with the video. Seeing Dumbfoundead superimposed onto lead film and TV roles will make you laugh but it’ll also get you thinking and asking, “When will we see more Asian guys in lead roles?”
‘Bright Whites’ by Kishi Bashi (2012): A clever take on classic idioms
Born Kaoru Ishibashi, Kishi Bashi studied film scoring at Berklee College of Music. He has played at music festivals including SXSW and Austin City Limits and toured as a supporting act for The Last Bison before headlining his own tour. In addition to performing as a musician, Kishi Bashi has lent his talents to the silver screen, scoring the soundtrack for the Apple TV show Stillwater.
“Bright Whites” is a song off of Kishi Bashi’s 2011 album 151a and it grows on you with each listen. Set in a carnival, the video, which features members of the indie pop band Of Montreal, is a whimsical visualization of 56 classic idioms including “when pigs fly,” “kill two birds with one stone” and “backseat driver.” And before you ask, yes, I looked up that number and no, I did not find them all. This is quite the creative feat but when you pair it with a love story between two lovebirds that actually makes sense, it’s nothing short of impressive.
‘Pisces’ by Horsepowar (2019): I don’t know what this is but I like it
The Indian Canadian rapper Jasleen Powar, also known as Horsepowar, turned to writing at the age of 14 following the death of her older brother. Later, she got into spoken word and rapping. Powar likes to sample Bollywood songs while tackling everything from misogyny to racism and heartbreak.
The offbeat video for Horsepowar’s single Pisces sports a mixture of cartoon centaurs and anthropomorphized musical instruments, B-movie sci-fi clips, and Powar in front of a green screen. With its beachy sound and open embrace of sensuality, the song is just fun and empowering.
Published on October 10, 2022
Words by Samantha Pak
Samantha Pak (she/her) is an award-winning Cambodian American journalist from the Seattle area and co-editor in chief for JoySauce. She spends more time than she’ll admit shopping for books than actually reading them, and has made it her mission to show others how amazing Southeast Asian people are. Follow her on Twitter at @iam_sammi and on Instagram at @sammi.pak.