34. Shan Phearon | I Will Follow - Songs of Surrender

40 Songs re-recorded by us. Re-imagined by you. #U2SOS40

Songs Of Surrender. Out Now: http://u2.lnk.to/SOS

Enigmatic polymath Shan Phearon creates new kind of iconography and has made a name for himself with his forward-thinking filmmaking.

His cult reputation has developed: whether landing a UK Music Video Awards nomination for his first video under legendary commissioner John Moule, or advancing new age extreme wide angle cinematography with Brit DPs like Olan Collardy, Courtney Bennet, Jake Gabbay, Nathalie Pitters, right through to inventing the world’s first UV light drone for iconic brands Apple and Def Jam, and even designing blockbuster spectacles to electrify the modern UK music video field.

Shan has attracted artists from some of the great UK Rap lyricists including Potter Payper, Nines, Wretch 32, Blade Brown, Rimzee, Ocean Wisdom, futurist R&B-Soul performers like Jvck James or Tiggs Da Author, outsiders like UK Brazilian Funk trailblazer Jevon or UK Afrobeats trendsetter One Acen, and even next generation experimental Alt-Pop disruptors like Jazmin Bean.

With a footprint in the music world, he has worked with a long list of numerous culture-shifting acts including Tyler, The Creator, ASAP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Janelle Monae, Charli XCX, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Mount Kimbie, Miguel, Jazmin Sullivan, Ed Sheeran, Labrinth, Danny Brown, SpaceGhostPurrp, How to Dress Well, P. Diddy, et al.

Noteworthy recognition has come from 1.4 On The Cusp, UKMVA, Vimeo Staff, 5 Star David Reviews, PromoNews Best Videos of The Year, plus work featured in Booooooom, VideoItalia, Shots, Director's Notes, Maff, VideoStatic, The Fader, Complex, Trench, The Guardian, and more.

UK Drill has been one of the most influential youth music movements in the world. It’s born from teen nihilism, disenfranchisement, low income areas, violence, trauma, alienation. Like rebellious Punk and Grime before, UK Drill is a response to broken British politics. UK Drill culture has codes: mythos, uniform, language, hand gestures, environment, dance. The Drill dance style - like Hip-Hop adjacent 'conflict styles' Breakdancing or Krump battling in eras past - is known as Sturdy.

I was thinking about themes behind U2’s debut ‘Boy’ LP... Adolescence, teen angst, coming of age, etc. Let’s reframe these through a modern European inner-city youth lens. Worlds crossing. It felt visually unexpected from U2 and uncommon in Rock / Alternative. UK Drill, integrated into the thematic universe of one of the great universal bands of all time, in an organic crossover moment - we hadn’t seen this cross-pollination done yet.

I found this old anecdote: “Bono remembers his adolescence as a time of psychological violence and ‘I Will Follow’ captures some of the drama of that era, the suburban claustrophobia, as throughout ‘Boy’. There is a sense of terror and confusion which runs deeper than the common crises of identity from which teenagers suffer.” I saw natural connections here with alienation, parenting, childhood trauma, teen behavioural issues and other deeper ideas around UK Drill and modern street culture youth.

More than anything though, I think it’s cool to see modern Rap and Rock n’ Roll ideas find common ground.

My Father was a big music head and he was also a bit of a U2 super-fan. He started me off on their 'The Best of 1980–1990’ CD as a little kid. Those are the times I felt most connected with him, through the music he shared with me. U2’s material was always such a human transmitter. Cosmically coming full circle years later, I guess I did this project as a dedication to my Dad.

Find out more about Shan Phearon:
http://www.shanphearon.com/