New Music Video! “Home:Word” by Magnetic North and Taiyo Na ft. Sam Kang

We’re proud to present our latest music video for our very talented friends and musicians Magnetic North (Derek Kan and Theresa Vu) and Taiyo Na, featuring Sam Kang! Take a moment to watch and reflect. What is home to you?

Shot last month in New York City, this is a special project because it reunited us and MN after 5 years, it was our first time shooting in NYC, and the story within the video is unlike any of our other music videos.

PREPRODUCTION
Derek from MN first asked us to do a music video of this album over a year ago. We were instantly drawn to the song “Home:Word” not only because it’s a great melody and song, but because the lyrics are so meaningful. We wanted to make a video that touched on a different topic from the typical “boy-girl-relationship” songs. As the months passed and we worked the shoot into our schedule we shared ideas with the artists.

There were actually several concepts we had for the video, but in the end, MN and Taiyo chose this one which involved a family and the hard times they go through, mainly because they could related to it the most, and also because it featured the parents roles, burdens, and strengths. We also agreed that we wanted to give spotlight to what our parents mean to us.

PRODUCTION
Since this was our first time shooting in New York there was a lot we weren’t prepared for. Actors had to be chosen via email (MN and Taiyo found some great people and friends), locations were scouted the day before (much like our Leehom video in Taiwan), and even parts of the story line were adjusted the night before to accommodate scheduling and locations.

The entire shoot was 2 1/2 days. A huge challenge was that there were so many performances (3 rappers and 1 singer!), each of them requiring a location, and the story line also involved 4 characters that each had their own set of locations and cast. We traveled all around New York City, and huge thanks to Nom Wah restaurant in Chinatown for letting us use their establishment. Jumping from location to location, hoping in cabs and subways, looking out for security guards and stopping traffic, it was extremely tiring and stressful, but everything worked out as planned. Definitely wasn’t a walk in the park, thankfully we got everything we needed in New York before flying back to LA.

One more shot was needed once we got home though. Sam Kang, who sings the chorus, lives in LA. We’ve actually made a music video for him before, in 2009. We grabbed him for a couple hours and shot his performance in LA…think anyone noticed?

DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY
We’re extremely glad we were able to create a video to a song which deals with many feelings that don’t usually get addressed. We believe there is something everyone can relate to in this video.
Like the mother and daughter, we all have those moments where we neglect our parents, too busy living our own life and caught up in what we think is important, we often forget that on the other side our parents are working hard and have struggled to give us as good a life as they can.
Like the son, pressures from school can be the biggest struggle for many young people. While it is important, sometimes stepping away to find a bit of peace can keep us going. Whether it’s in photography, making videos, singing, dancing, or even video games with friends, whatever brings you joy can feel like home too.
Like the father, jobs and financial worries can bring us down, and make us feel like it’s the end of the world. Especially in these tough times, when so much is uncertain, the greatest gift we have is knowing that there is one constant, family, who will always be there to support and comfort.
We really hope you got something special out of this entire project, we know we did.