Yung Raja (left) and SVDP in the ‘Aiyo!’ music video. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Tamil-Canadian maverick SVDP and Singaporean Tamil-English artist Yung Raja walk through surreal frames – from bejeweled sports cars to a kitchen in peak hour – in the music video for their collaboration “Aiyo!”
Directed by SVDP, the artist describes the video as a “multi-medium visual merging film, fashion, design animation and AI.” A press release adds, “The piece unfolds through high-octane scenes captured across a spectrum of styles, paying homage to classic South Indian cinema.” There’s even a building with a mural of Tamil acting superstar Rajinikanth by way of homage. At other points, artist Muvindu Binoy’s hand-drawn graphic work also comes into frames to add a vibrant dimension.
While the single – produced by German producer MCTR and Toronto-based La+ch – was out in 2022 and became part of SVDP’s 2022 album VVV, the video for “Aiyo!” was filmed across six months in Toronto, Chennai, Mumbai, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. This led to creating a visual that “weaves cross-cultural elements while remaining rooted in Tamil expression,” a press release adds.
The artists also brought in custom pieces by designers like Kyle Gervacy, Erode, Sangiev, and Bernard Chandran to make sure their looks were not only complementary, but also gave off a strong sense of character and performance in the video.
True to their goals of evoking awe, “Aiyo!” may have come a while after the audio dropped but the video frames the song in a new perspective, including footage from when SVDP and Yung Raja shared the stage supporting American rap star 50 Cent in concert in Navi Mumbai in late 2022.
Both artists have continued to be regular performers in India as recently as December last year – SVDP toured India, including a set at Echoes of Earth festival in Bengaluru, while Yung Raja took to the stage at South Side Story festival in Mumbai. Yung Raja also released a song with Punjabi artist Prabh Deep called “Nalla Neram” in November, while SVDP is part of big projects such as the upcoming season of collaborative song series Coke Studio Bharat and a song on the Salman Khan-starring action movie Sikandar, slated to release in March 2025.
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