Motivated by the need to bridge the global gap with his fans, UK’s promising breakthrough artist – Wellington born Finn Askew – has called on creators from South Asia to collaborate with him on his hit track, ‘Roses’ from his debut EP ‘Peaches’. The song was written when Askew was 16, after he “got the beat from YouTube, loaded up Garage Band [and] grabbed [his] £20 microphone”. Most recently, the now 20-year-old artist sought out creators to create a lyric video for the track. From Malaysia, Askew handpicked Haiqal Iman, a self-taught graphic artist who appreciates the art of alchemy. This led to Iman developing a strong passion for animation, 3D Graphics and video production.
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Instinctively researching Finn Askew’s initial music video, Haiqal managed to develop an 8-Bit arcade visual with the notion of wanting to take the audience on a digital adventure. The elements chosen were based on the relatability of Malaysian culture and prominent landmarks.
“I narrowed it down to three central elements to make it reflect our home in Malaysia through our national landmarks, flower and the comfort our local meals bring us as a collective. We are blessed with so much diversity and I wanted to leave my personal touch by taking our everyday surroundings making it quirky and fun.”
The 2020 single picked up traction in the region after it was featured in a live stream on V Live (a South Korean live video streaming service for celebrities to broadcast live chat sessions, performances,etc) by South Korean K-Pop group NCT member, Taeyong. Taeyong – who chose the song because “it’s a really good song” and “he likes it” – sang a cover of the song, leading fans to search up the track on Spotify, landing it in the sites ‘viral charts’ in a number of South-East Asian countries. ‘Roses’ now has over 5.5 million streams on Spotify alone.
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The British musician says his sound is influenced by hip hop acts like Juice WRLD and Lil Peep, while his love for the art itself grew from uncovering his parent’s CDs, a mixture of Nirvana, The Smiths, and The Beach Boys. Askew’s music is described as ‘indie sound, washed one moment in a rosy hue of pop and the next polished to a high, RnB sheen’.
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