Montreal, QC-based musician Hua Li has released a video for her latest single, “Mr. Greenlight” which is off of her recently announced debut album, Dynasty to be released on September 20, 2019, via Next Door Records.
Proclaimed a daddy issues anthem, “Mr. Greenlight” stitches together different musical moods to depict the conflict-ridden feelings of love and repulsion experienced by the daughters of philandering fathers. A desire for validation strikes against Hua Li’s condemning words, alternating longing melodies with quick-witted rap verses.
Hua Li shares,
“Working with director Paz Ramirez was a dream come true. Her vision, resourcefulness and drive was inspiring the whole way through. I have also admired Winnie Ho for years and watching her embody the mood of my song and lyrics with her beautiful creativity as a dancer and performance artist showed me new sides to my own music. Throughout the video I appear as an all-seeing figure somehow distinct from the violence and toxicity in the home – much like a child watching their parents negotiate the messier sides of relationships, I am a silent comfort to the Winnie’s character, witnessing her trials and expressing solidarity where I can.”
Director, Paz Ramirez adds,
“When Peggy and I started this collaboration she came to me with some loose images of male destruction and female reparation. I was hooked by this metaphor of the emotional labor that historically is done by femme folks. I wanted to explore working this concept in a domestic space but with a very careful aesthetic treatment; I wanted to explore working this concept in a domestic space (my house in Toronto) but with a very careful aesthetic treatment; it was made possible by the committed collaboration of Brenna Holler, who did the production design. I was inspired by cinematographic references like Gus Van Sant and Haneke’s first movie The Seventh Continent. Building on the prevalence of the B&W resource in hip hop culture and media, I attempted to give it another layer within the context of the video, as a way of subtly pushing a female gaze and sensibility into a predominantly masculine-ruled genre and industry.”
Check out the video below and keep up to date with Hua Li via her socials.