The Artist Explains: Boy Bjorn - 'Anchorage'

Indie Electro artist Boy Bjorn speaks to us about the intimate visuals for debut single 'Anchorage', composed entirely of a collection of childhood home video footage. 'Anchorage' is out now via Communion Records and is a dreamy, emotive and energising single which focuses on the themes of family, love and loss.

What inspired you to share home video footage for your visuals for 'Anchorage'?
Well, this project is a deep dive into who I am. More for me than the public, I started writing this album in the midst of feeling wisdom for the first time. Long way to go on that. I wanted to reconnect with my past and ask questions...sometimes it's too late to do that. I don't have any grandparents anymore and it bothers me a bit that I can't ask them about what truly moved them. What made their days go from a normal day to an excellent day. How many of us know those things about our family or even some we might call friends? What were their triggers for anxiety/sadness? To get back to the home video footage, it was a very simple concept. I wanted to introduce the project at the very beginning of it for me.

How does the video connect with the song?
The song is about my Grandma Bernita, but is truly about the concept I just spoke about. My direct contact with my family doesn't reach much past my parents. And that gets to me a little. I woke up from a dream about sitting with my Grandma, just me and her. As I am now. Not as a child, but as an adult, and free of any worry that I might ask the wrong question. I wanted to connect and she did too. I'm learning, from my own experience of a particularly rough period of my life dealing anxiety, that everyone's a well out there. And I just didn't know that as a kid. I didn't know that I'd want to know some things about my Grandma...directly from her.

Any behind the scenes stories?
I guess I'd have to ask my main A camera operator - my Dad - if he remembers anything when he shot the footage 25+ years ago. Haha

Could you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
(I don't really have anything to say about this as it was really just about taking the home video footage and editing it into a meaningful way. I knew I had to hand it off to an editor because I'd have a very biased opinion on what might be interesting to watch)

What do you hope people take away from watching the video?
There's nothing groundbreaking here. I just hope people are reminded of mortality. To reach out and at least make the attempt to discover more about the people around you. Break through that wall of small talk.

Interview Feature by Karla Harris