The Artist Explains: Bernelie - 'Yin'
South African singer-songwriter Bernelie speaks to us about her beautiful, carefree music video for, ‘Yin’, where she highlights the themes of self-acceptance and letting go of the value we attach to our appearance.
Where was the video for 'Yin' filmed?
’Yin’ was filmed in and around Cape Town, South Africa. Specifically at Hohenhort and Blouberg Beach with the iconic Table Mountain in the background.
How does the video connect with the song?
Marku Boshoff (Videographer) and I had ideas to film in nature with smoke sticks because it creates an ethereal atmosphere. The song is about letting go, loving & accepting yourself so we wanted to film in natural locations with natural light. We wanted to create something of a dream.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share with us?
We actually got into trouble at a nature reserve because we didn't know that we required a permit to film in that specific locations so we got chased off by the park rangers and had to stop filming immediately!
Could you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
We wanted to make this a fun video without thinking about which angles would make me look best or "beautiful". It was more about being playful and childlike. A bit like a childhood party.
We filmed the video with foods that are normally labelled as "Taboo" if you want to be healthy or on a diet but the main message here is that we should be able to enjoy ourselves and not put too many restrictions on things because are we really living then? I am generally very healthy and also believe that you can treat yourself. Everything in moderation.
Is there a message the video is trying to convey?
I made this video because someone recently called me fat and I have had some crazy remarks like "You're getting too big" "You're too skinny." or "your smile is too big" over the years so I decided to make this video to show that my weight or appearance does not need to be a hot topic of discussion. We attach too much value to our appearances.
Interview feature by Karla Harris