Chart Mondays: Major Lazer Featuring Nyla & Fuse ODG - Light It Up

March 14, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



I have been waiting for this music video, and I'm so glad this song has jumped back into the top 10 to allow me to review it for Chart Mondays. Lukas Graham is still at number one with "7 Years", hence why I'm reviewing this music video. Major Lazer take us to Ghana and documents their traditional funeral, educating us through the music video medium. Inspirational and enlightening, bringing something new to the music channels, along with artists Nyla and Fuse ODG.

Major Lazer are a three piece group consisting of Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. They have had a number of hits, more so lately than early on in the career of this group, as it was first founded by Diplo and Switch, the latter left the band because of creative differences. The group's biggest single to date is a collaboration with MØ with "Lean On", which got to number two in the UK. It seems this single is attempting a shot for number one, although with so many amazing songs higher up the chart, it doesn't seem like this will climb much higher. Nyla, real name Nailah Thorbourne, is from Jamaica, this is her biggest single to date, although she has released a few other singles, both as a solo act and as a featured act. Will she be pushed into mainstream success with this song? Or will this be her only hit? As for Fuse ODG, real name Nana Abiona, he's already made his name for himself here in the UK, no number one as of yet, but I bet he's not far from hitting the top of the charts, This song was written by Thomas Pentz, Philip Meckseper, Nailah Thorbourne, David Malcolm, Sidney Swift, T-Baby and Nana Abiona.

Directed by Sam Pilling, the music video is a documentary showing us the traditional funeral in Ghana. There is also a Twi poem quoted at the start and the end by Kwado Nkita-Mayala called Kae (Remember).

Showing Ghanaian culture makes this documentary music video educational, showing us something we've probably never seen before, managing to convey the meaning of the song over beautifully.

The traditional Ghanaian funeral ceremony includes the entire community, they firstly mourn together, and then they celebrate the life that was lived.

The black and white visual effect doesn't help the music video, although it does bring sadness. I hate black and white music videos unless the effect is used for a specific reason, since the music video and song isn't about dwelling on the sadness of the funeral, it should've switched to colour as the community celebrated the life that was lived.

Overall a nice educational music video, giving us something new to watch in a new media. However it's not entertaining enough, compared to the song, and it doesn't inspire me to watch it again. The poem brings something beautiful to this okay music video, allowing us to understand the words of the poem, the lyrics of the song and the meaning behind the whole music video. As a whole it is beautiful, and yet not amazing.
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