After the success of her debut Alternative/R&B Extended Play (EP) ‘Hysteria,’ which Rolling Stone India called “everything you want to hear in the music of empowerment,” generating radio play on BBC Asian Network, Sri Lankan artist Q (aka Francesca Mudannayake) is releasing the music video for the EP’s most popular song, ‘100K,’ on 6 July.
Written by Q and produced by Murandu, the song is an empowering ode to women who work hard but don’t always get the credit or the money they deserve.
Speaking to Brunch, Q shared the story behind her upcoming music video (MV). “The story that I envisioned really suited an animated visual,” said Q, adding that she wanted to have a live action music video, a live MV recording, and an animated video so that she would be able to touch on all three mediums and present a variety to her audience.
Considering that she already has the live action MV covered with her debut music video for ‘Took It To The River’ and the other being a recording of her live performance for ‘Nicky (Outro),’ both songs from her EP, all that’s left is the animated MV.
Q also expressed some of the trepidation she felt considering the current situation in Sri Lanka and her excitement when it came to releasing music during these difficult and unprecedented times. “Given the current Sri Lankan landscape, I have been going back and forth considering whether to release it or not. I don’t want to be insensitive to what is happening but I also firmly believe that we need to grab hold of the arts and keep it alive for as long as possible – especially during these times when people need a bit of respite,” she said. “That’s my hope – that people will be able to get at least two-and-a-half minutes of relaxation before we go back to our lives.”
She added: “Honestly it’s not about being widely received; these times are not great for everybody. Personally, with every single song that I have released, every track that I have put out, if at least five people get something from it, if they listened to it, or they watched the music video, if they enjoyed it and it gave them some sense of relief, then my job is done.”
The ‘100K’ music video
Speaking about ‘100K,’ Q shared that the song itself was an outlier in her EP: “Funnily enough it is the only hip-hop rap song on the EP and it is actually the only one where I rap – it is the first time I am rapping – so it is pretty much the one that stands out the most and it’s easily the most hyped-up track there as well.”
When considering the storyline that best represents the sound for ‘100K,’ Q said that it was important for her to capture the overall narrative she had tried to portray through the EP: “This whole narrative is of me in my early 20s – trying to understand, learning, and discovering about my sexuality and my independence, about financial independence as a female and a freelancer in Colombo. This is kind of like the climax and me really taking charge of my journey.”
Q shared that the MV which was inspired by the superhero movie genre had been animated by Shenuka Corea and took one-and-a-half years to develop. For the MV, the story follows the character Q, who journeys to find her nemesis and get back what is rightfully hers, while the video sheds light on harassment and the importance of uplifting women.
As an animated piece, Q shared that the bulk of the work on this MV was thanks to her collaborator Shenuka. “She is basically the most important part of this process. Originally, I put the entire story on a PowerPoint presentation and at the concept stage I had an animator in mind – Shenuka – and I had seen her previous work, which was amazing. I then approached her around November 2020, which was when the conversation first started.”
Shenuka was excited to come onboard once Q had pitched the idea to her, and the two have been collaborating on ‘100K’ since then.
What’s next for Q?
When she first got started, Q dedicated her efforts to honing her skills as a jazz, soul, and R&B singer at the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in the UK and singing at the Barbican Centre. She returned home to Sri Lanka where she began collaborating with notable musicians like Bo Sedkid and Imaad Majeed on tracks such as ‘Quota [Remix]’ and ‘Control’.
At present she has a weekly gig performing at 1864 Limited Edition, at the Galle Face Hotel. “That’s what I wanted to focus on in 2022 – I wanted to become a better performer, a better vocalist, and work on that side of things a bit more.”
As for new music, once the upcoming music video is released, she hopes to release one more cover song which is in the works and will hopefully be available by the end of this year, depending on how things progress.
However, Q asserted that after the release of ‘100K,’ you can be sure to expect more music from her, as she is set on getting started on a new song – or perhaps even a new EP!
Watch/stream the ‘100K’ music video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsuEnfEpzNg
Visit Q on YouTube at Q Music:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC__7KW7raF2f2mIiG_wOqSQ
