VIDEO PREMIERE: Jun Parker And Chilean Producer Carlinhos Team Up For City Pop-Inspired 'Tonight'
“The lyrics speak of breaking away from past memories, realising a special connection, and navigating this fateful night together," says Jun Parker.
Jun Parker (Credit: Tope Adesina/Supplied)
Japanese-Australian songwriter Jun Parker has entered his latest vibrant chapter, sharing the cinematic video for his latest single, Tonight.
Steeped in retro groove and funk, Tonight is a transcontinental collaboration which sees Parker working with Chilean producer and Casa Robot record label owner Carlinhos to craft the immersive city-pop inspired track.
Equally mellow and nostalgic, Tonight takes inspiration from the kaleidoscopic romance of ‘80s R&B, with its accompanying visual experience designed to take the viewer and listener directly into this world.
“The lyrics speak of breaking away from past memories, realising a special connection, and navigating this fateful night together,” says Parker. “Keywords in the lyrics are drawn from the rich, cinematic feel of classic ‘80s R&B ballads.”
For the artwork, Parker collaborated with Japanese “new retro” artist chao! to deepen the visual experience and nostalgic appeal.
“The city pop genre is currently so popular in Japan that many people even consider R&B and hip hop to be part of city pop,” chao! says. “I’ve had my doubts about this trend of grouping R&B and hip hop under the umbrella of city pop, but when I listened to Tonight, I felt it captured the true essence of what city pop should be.”
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The accompanying video is an ode to the romantic, nostalgic nature of this envisioned era, portraying a relationship between two people who, after various life experiences and past relationships, unexpectedly find themselves sharing the same space.
Working with young Japanese film director Mr. Taisei Sanada, the clip was produced in Yokohama, Japan, and showcases a stylishly-decorated pool scene, Japanese-Irish actress Sakura Ariana, and exceptional visuals from a myriad countries, eras, and artistic influences to craft something wholly unique.
“When planning the concept of ‘new retro’ we came up with a key idea for the music video, incorporating new elements into the nostalgic and retrospectivefeel of ‘retro’, and Jun’s vision of a glamorous yet bittersweet Showa-era vibe came throughclearly in the music and greatly inspired my ideas,” says Mr. Taisei Sanada.
“When the video was completed, I realised that the retro we had created was reimagining itsessence through the lens of the present day,” he adds. “I believe the recent retro boom reflects howpeople, weary of a world where everyone is constantly connected to the internet and reliant onsocial media for communication, are seeking a brief escape from their daily lives—a form of emotional retreat.
“I hope everyone enjoys a romantic evening in the ‘new retro’ world that Tonight invites you into.”
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
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