B O K E H showcases the emotive video for ‘simple little things’, the second single is taken from their upcoming album ‘room 42’. ‘simple little things’ is about someone not being upfront with their feelings, it’s about the desire to open up, but also the doubt that comes with doing so. The song takes its influences from 90s Pop, Hip Hop, and RnB and is a minimalistic production, with vocals almost acapella, lead by B O K E H and supported by Ruuth. The soundscape is created in a world of Juno’s, a constant heartbeat kick, 90s-styled breaks and crescendos into a surprise rap breakdown by Lex Leosis.
“The music video was self-produced and directed,” explains B O K E H. “It was filmed in the alleyways of Montréal, Québec in October last year. The video stars local choreographer/dancer Elle Roy. This was one of the most chill shoots I’ve ever done. Everything from pre-production to completion flowed very organically. I had just arrived in Montréal and instantly fell in love with the energy of the city. The alleyways around where I was staying in Mile End looked so cinematic – everything had that autumn glow, the leaves were just turning, the skies were clear and the weather was crisp. I hadn’t planned on making a video there until I arrived in the city. I met the DoP Robin P.Gould who introduced me to Elle when I arrived and three days later we were filming, just the three of us. The story follows two characters who are looking to confess their true feelings to each other, but they’re unaware, spoiler, that they’re both heading to each other’s houses at the same time, ultimately missing each other. This is what the song is about – both feeling feelings that neither are saying and ultimately missing each other. Both characters are interpreted through contemporary dance by the wonderful Elle Roy. I was inspired by some of Xavier Dolan’s films, which were filmed in slow motion in the same neighbourhood, so filming this there was a bit of a wink to his work.”
B O K E H continues on the single, “It’s the classic story about the struggles of making a causal relationship into something more safe and committed. The song was written with Ruuth in 2020 in my home in Berlin. We had written together before and following some chats about relationship dramas, we got inspired to write ‘simple little things’. I came across Lex Leosis on TikTok and thought she had such a powerfully unique voice, so I wrote her a lengthy message nervously trying to convince her to rap on the track. She wrote me back an hour later and said she was in. I got the news when I was out with a friend at a bar and I audibly squealed. It’s always been a dream of mine to work with a rapper and I missed hearing rap breakdowns in pop songs, which was very common to hear when I grew up in the 90s.”
I produced the song in my home studio and on the road and then went into Alte Münze studio in Berlin for the final parts of the production, in which I worked with Wouter Rentema, a long-time collaborator of mine. There, we recorded my vocals and elaborated on the beat, adding some silly 90s breaks, which we did firstly as a joke and then were like, wait hey, this actually sounds pretty fitting.. Lex sent me her rap via email (she’s based in Toronto) and I didn’t change a thing. She has an incredible flow and way with words. The production is very minimal- I wanted to keep it simple – thus, ‘simple little things’ was born!
B O K E H is the moniker of singer, producer and video maker, Chloë Lewer, an independent artist from New Zealand, based in Berlin, Germany where she began her musical career as a busker in 2011.
B O K E H’s debut album, ‘room 42’ is due for release in July 2023. An album which she wrote, performed, engineered and produced herself in-between her Berlin home studio and on the road, through New Zealand, France, Portugal and Greece.
The album is a culmination of B O K E H’s desire to nurture, ‘human warmth, sensuality, tenderness, connection, intimacy, self-love, celebration and liberation.’ At the core of ‘room 42’, which draws its name from the hotel room in which the album was conceived, lies an undeniable theme of romance.
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Photos by @carolinemackintosh
‘simple little things’ is due to be released Feb 24th
Pre-save it here: https://bfan.link/simplelittlethings
