The Artist Explains: Astha - 'Ride' ft. Manny Rite (Video)

Toronto based singer-songwriter Astha speaks to us about the concept behind her music video and single 'Ride' ft. Manny Rite.

Beautiful in its ambient, electronic pop simplicity, 'Ride' features Toronto based rapper Manny Rite and and was produced by The Author. This is the first single taken from Astha's upcoming EP due for release in 2017.

Astha Explains:
Where was the video filmed?
The video was filmed in various parts of Toronto,Canada and took the team across three different seasons to capture the city's cinematic beauty. The fall/autumn portion of the video was shot in Caledon, the spring portion featuring the artist (doll character) was shot in a suburban woodsy area of Brampton, while the winter city shots were taken in the Toronto downtown core.

How does the video compliment the song?
The video and the song both share an underlying theme of finding freedom. The imagery and cinematic driving shots were created with the idea in mind to highlight the path to movement, empowerment and independence.

Any behind the scenes stories?
Other than almost experiencing a heart attack when my newly adopted little kitty, "Rain", went missing in my boyfriend's car for 5 minutes, having no bug spray and getting eaten alive by mutant sized blood-thirsty mosquitoes in the woods and freezing in the city while shooting in minus 40 ℃ Canadian weather, production went pretty smoothly.

Tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
Throughout the video we have four characters moving in parallel to each other without knowing that they're intertwined. The common thread that connects all the characters together is the silver trinket which carries the doll. The song is about the doll finding her freedom through the unknowing actions of the characters throughout the video ultimately culminating in her release.

What is the message the video is trying to convey?
"Going for a ride" stands for being able to leave a state of stagnation, moving forward and being open to new experiences. A lot of times we are fearful of change, of movement and of goodbyes. The song and video is about being able to leave something behind and finding freedom in that vulnerability.

Interview feature by Karla Harris