FLO and Cigey Design tell the story behind the "Work It" music video
To finish this first season of "Music Video Focus", I contacted two singers whose most recent singles represent the vibe I want to have in 2021. We start with the festive and free spirit of FLO's "Work It". She’s been active for about fifteen years on the Kréyòl hip-hop scene, this rapper from Guadeloupe lives between Miami and Guadeloupe. After various singles and mixtapes, she unveiled her very first studio album in 2018: "A Long Time Coming". To create a visual for "Work It", she teamed up with Guadeloupean filmmaker Cigey Design who’ve been making a name for himself in the Caribbean music video industry in the past ten years. His colorful cinematography highlighs the natural beauty of Guadeloupe. FLO and Cigey Design take us behind the scenes of this music video.
Before we get into the “Work It” music video, let's rewind the story of "Work It". This is the third single from your first studio album "A Long Time Coming". Why did you choose it as a title track ?
FLO: "Work it" is a track composed by Staniski, the West Indies hitmaker! I had commissioned him a track with some little electro afrobeat sound but with his Caribbean touch, a world sound that could appeal to most people. That's how we get to "Work it" that I wrote in 3 languages (English, Creole and French), which is a bit of a risk to take in order to speak a little to each part of my audience in some kind of hypnotizing dance floor atmosphere.
The song gathered some attention in South Korea. The Viva Dance studio even created choreographies to it. Did you have a particular strategy for this?
FLO: Indeed. Through a contact person in Miami, the song was submitted to a Korean distribution and publishing company called Sound Republica. They liked the song and, in partnership with one of the biggest dance studios there, a choreography was born to boost a little the promotion on this market. The whole album is distributed by Sound Republica, so it was really a spontaneous choice of Hazel from Viva Dance Studio to dance on it. This video has 70K views, more than the actual music video itself (laughs).
It's a song made to get lit in the club. However, the music video was exclusively shot outdoors. Can you tell us about the pre-production process?
FLO : It's a song to dance wherever and whenever. In the club, in family gatherings, it’s a song for dancers, for kids, for a recreational afternoon (laughs). I just wanted it to have a nice energy, something fun and a bit different from the more introspective tracks on the album. Kids are the ones who like this song the most and who do the choreography! They go Up! Up! Up! Up! (laughs) I chose to do this music video with my homie Cigey with whom I've already made quite a few music videos. Things came along organically.
Cigey: I'd heard the demo version of the song long before it was released and I said to FLO, "I'm filming the music video for this one".
FLO: And I didn't want to upset him (laughs). When a music video director likes the song, it always makes things easier, they enjoy filming even more. Except for the second verse in Creole where there is a desire to go towards a more scenario-like visual, in girl power mode, the rest of the visual was really more thought out in terms of energy, colorful and well-contrasting aesthetics with a focus on dance. I asked choreographer Nelson Rogier from the Djòk dance crew. He created the whole choreography. One of the dancers, Ludovic Bibeyron, also participated in the styling of the dancers.
Aside from a glimpse of the word “town hall” or a license plate, it’s difficult to identify Guadeloupe as the background setting, but there is a clear Caribbean vibe. Why did you choose this location?
FLO : We shot in Deshaies, a town in Guadeloupe. What’s great about this town is that there’s this typical downtown area you see in the Caribbean, but there’s also the sea side and the mountain side. The marina is a bonus. In terms of production, it’s convenient to have 4 different kinds of sets in a radius of a few kilometers and sometimes a few meters!
Cigey: The goal was to create a dynamic visual and to respect codes that reflect the Caribbean. The contrasts are interesting too, between green mountains on a blue ocean background, colored houses with a marina in the background, a beach with golden sand but accessible only through an undergrowth mangrove...
US women's hip-hop in the 80s and 90s showed the diversity of images that women could have. There was room for a Queen Latifah, a Missy Elliott and a Lil' Kim or Eve, for example. After the void of the early 2000s, Nicki Minaj embodied a revival with a hip-hop sound seducing the mainstream pop scene and a suggestive visual similar to what Cardi B or Megan The Stallion give us today. Which importance do you give to the expression of your femininity in your artistic visual identity in general?
FLO : I give importance to the representation of femininity in my visuals because there isn’t much diversity in what you see on the mainstream scene. I can appreciate the imagery of Nicki or Cardi, but I’d also like something else like when there was EVE, DaBrat or Lauryn Hill... a spectrum of feminine identities that reflects who we are. Sometimes sexy, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes strong women, sometimes completely crazy or tomboy ... There’s a fashion style that goes with every facet. So expressing this aspect in my music videos brings my own feminine touch to the visual landscape. For example, the swimsuit was totally my choice (laughs). For this music video, I didn't really have a stylist, I did a little bit of everything as N'afrikart Premier provided me with the wax print jacket. The dress outfit was my idea. I always ask the director what they think about it. They’re often men so their feedback as an audience is interesting.
"Work It" is a music video with choreography. How was the choreography set up?
FLO : The Djòk crew directed by Nelson Rogier did a great job in a very short time, BIG UP to them! He recommanded me the dancers that he could picture in the video. We first worked together just the two of us in order to figure things out and simply get to know each other. I participated in the rehearsals, and I tried to follow them! They liked the fact that I participated, that I tried to do more as an artist than just sing in front of them dancing. My respect for them is real. It was a great experience to get into the world of dancers. I'm not really a person who dances a lot. I can one-two step a little (laughs) so it was a challenge and I really loved it. Besides, I’m now taking Gwo Ka dance classes with the Djòk crew. We release some steam as well. I tend to leave my comfort zone in what I challenge myself with these days.
Can you share one anecdote that happened on the set?
Cigey : Speaking of dance, personally I’d say that it's always interesting to get dancers repeat the choreography 10 times and then watch them get exhausted to the point where they can't do it anymore (laughs). No, but more seriously, you can't see it on screen, but it was raining quite a bit on the shooting day.
FLO : The famous Deshaies mountains are sometimes treacherous because they hide behind clouds but the wind also had a hard time keeping them away. So we were playing hide and seek with the clouds and the sun and we had to stop filming several times, but there was so much energy that everybody just laughed about it.
Cigey: In general, when things don't go your way, especially when it comes to the weather, don't block the vibe and upset Mother Nature. You really have to play along with her or it gets worse!
Let's say a 10-year-old kid watch your music video in 2100. Which reaction do you want them to have?
Cigey: It depends on where the kid is. If it's a child who lives in a cold country, they'll want to take a vacation. If they’re in the Caribbean, they’ll want to dance or buy a motorcycle. Or if it’s someone with more experience, they’ll think the concept is good.
FLO: I wish the music video would still make people want to dance, that he or she would come up with steps we can't even imagine, maybe there will be little devices to make you float in the air, and now it’d really be Up!Up!Up!Up!
The interview is coming to an end. Despite the health crisis, do you have any upcoming projects?
Cigey: As far as I'm concerned, you can stream "They Will Never Know". We were talking about him earlier, but it's a Staninski production and it's a collaboration with Saël and Oswald.
FLO: I'm working on some new songs. We'll see for a release in early 2021. I'm also working on the live aspect of what I want to offer on stage, I'm practicing an instrument but I'll say more when I'm ready (there's a lot of work to do!). Otherwise, stay connected on my website www.freemyflo.com and my social media @freemyflo on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to get exclusive info.
Bonus question: can you recommend a music video that you think reflects Guadeloupe?
Cigey: Too many to pick just one (laughs).
FLO: I’d say Dominik Coco with the title "Gwada". Let's take it by storm [t/n: lyrics in the intro of the song]!
Thanks to FLO and Cigey Design. Come back next week to read my take on “Work It”.
Photos : Xavier Dollin/Cigey Design