Video: Øbed Wants You To Live Free on ”Walls”
Listening to songs by Øbed feels like a galactic experience. The beauty of his sonic creation is multi-dimensional. It’s a blend of stripped-down sounds and some hard-hitting rhythms over which floats a voice that is both assertive and malleable. His songs also encompasses various influences; from hip hop, jazz, punk rock, retro RnB and soft pop with a splash of classical music sounds.
This fusion of sounds hint at the complexities of Øbed, first as an artist and second, a genre bending, experiment loving producer. Growing up as a church boy where his sens of music was honed, Øbed continues to find inspiration from the church. Trained to play both the piano and guitar, his love for music production meant listening to a host of music. Out of the cache of music he listened to helped shaped his approach to music making. And, together with the Super Jazz Club, the Collective he belongs, he has found a space where not only like-minded artists help elevate each other’s work, but also a space where creative license is a given.
Øbed’s creative direction- per his sonic template- could be heard on his previous two singles; ‘’Space’’ and ‘’Sober’’, the latter earned him a lot of critical look from some musical critics. We described him as such, following the release of Sober: ”Øbed belongs to a new crop of Ghanaian artists who are not just pursuing a musical lane they love, but are creating musical sounds that challenges the musical taste buds of the Ghanaian”.
“Walls”, released in October strikes on the theme of love, freedom in a relationship and the wall of protection one builds to guard against their vulnerabilities. The soft guitar with a strikingly beautiful bassline and the alte-R&B mood of the song sits in line with the lyrics of Øbed on the song. ‘’Get the fence off, round your heart’’, he sings on the hook. The love-song is a call to being free since one cannot enjoy the bloom of love with their guards up.
“Walls” now has a video which spots two women wandering in a vast grassland exuding an air of freedom. On what the video signifies, the Super Jazz Club member was clear in his response. ”Keeping in theme with protection and letting go, I wanted to tell tale of 2 women, 2 carefree women that protect each other in the simplest of ways whilst entering into that new and almost terrifying world of vulnerability and trust. To some it may seem to be a romantic relationship, but this is one of sisterhood and true friendship. We see the girls running through the countryside, messing around in classic cars and just fully enjoying what the creator has blessed them with”.
That concept for the video was beautifully executed by Bella Santez (Director), Ken Obeng (Assistant Director) with Bella and Favour Jonathan playing the two women enjoying their own nirvana. This video validates the saying that sometimes, the real beauty of art lies in keeping it simple.
