The KPop group associated with the Asian Expansion, BLACKSWAN, recently released the second single and the Music video with the Karma MV. This video is directed by Sagan Lee and produced by Samaresh Routray, Amit Talukdar, Arindam Das and Ajay Barik. The video is shot by the directors of photography Woo Hyun-woo and Park Sang-myun, while EJ Jeon joins as the Assistant Director. There is something electric about setting this video in India, but it also opens up a conversation about how commodifying cultures for clout.
When the music video starts, our first glimpse is of a street in India, with the people bustling about to go to work and minding their own businesses. In come the ladies in montages, who are all dressed in beautiful Indian attire. They are seen wearing bindis, skirts, and thick bangles while also making gestures that emulate certain classical dances in this country. There is a lot of colour in this music video because, after the first prologue and introduction, we dive right back into one of the artists’ eyes, which opens up to a big temple.
High domes, stunning architecture, stellar views and four dancers are just the beginning of this video. We see them go across the different regions of this big space and employ many of them as dance spots to shoot the video. They have also shot some sequences in the ruins of the building, which have been coloured with the effects of continuous monsoon. The reasons that these artists have chosen to come to India is because ‘Karma’ as a concept had emerged from this land, and thus they have tried their best to bring it back here.
The artists are incredibly talented; some don’t even seem to be native South Koreans but have been singing and dancing in a group so proficiently that they can give someone a run for their money. Additionally, the person who has been doing their hair and make-up deserves big praise for being able to come up with such interesting outfits for the band members while also making them comfortable enough to dance. There is still a prickly feeling that comes with representing some part of the country with vague elements and ideas.
However, nothing can take away from the fact that some of the instrumentals in this song are truly beautiful. The opening theme, with the sitar playing in the background, is just magnificent, adding to the architecture and the views. It is just a visual treat. Shot in 4K just for the brilliant visual elements, this video does not miss out on the aestheticism, that is for sure. Even though it starts off slow and melodic, the music gives way to the hard-hitting beats that give it the distinct Korean Pop music energy.
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The lyrics, rhythms, pauses and onomatopoeic sounds are all very fitting for the KPop genre bringing two cultures together visually and sonically. Moreover, while some of the movements are borrowed from Indian dances, they have also featured dancers doing Bharatnatyam to add authenticity to their representation of the country. BLACKSWAN has always tried to move away from the norm, and this music video is just the beginning. Featuring band members Gabi, Fatou, Sriya and NVee, these are the four currently in the band. They have been active since 2020.
They put out their first album that same year which was titled, Goodbye RAINA. It featured 14 songs, including Tonight, Over & Over, Let Me Dance, Dr Feel Good- Remix, Just Go- Remix, Hello- Remix, UP, Demonstrate- Remix, Get Out, Start a Fire, Make me ah, Beep Beep Beep, No Dab and Breathe Heavy. They have also released a single with two songs, the one mentioned here and Cat & Mouse, titled That Karma.
Watch the Karma MV by BLACKSWAN
Karma and Cat & Mouse are currently streaming on Spotify. What are you most excited to see in their upcoming album? Let us know in the comments below.
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