Sheku: The New Album
Creation of online content, TV Ad, social content & photography for the UK’s most successful classical album release of the last 30 years.
Project:
Sheku: 2020 album launch campaign.
Client:
Decca Records
Services:
Concept, Storyboarding, Creative Direction, Content Creation (Film and Still photography). Co-directed with John Davis @ johndavisphoto.com. Post-Production: Vincent London
Sheku Kanneh-Mason MBE, is one of classical music’s brightest and most critically acclaimed rising stars. A young black man succeeding in a genre dominated by white musicians. As well as classical music, he also includes his own interpretations of contemporary songs by artists like Bob Marley and Leonard Cohen on his albums.
As a result, Sheku is getting attention both from traditional classical music fans and also inspiring a younger audience to get interested in the genre.
THE BRIEF:
Decca wanted something that engaged the traditional classical audience but also needed it to be credible with the younger ‘streaming generation’ of Sheku fans.
They wanted to bring Sheku’s musicianship to the fore, highlighting his technique, dedication and focus.
Solution:
The idea was to immerse the audience in Sheku's performance, showing a man lost in his music.
We created video content and photography which were versioned for a range of channels, including a 30 second TV spot, online edits, social content and outdoor billboards across England.
Sheku played live on every take. We shot with old anamorphic lenses to lend it a timeless, cinematic feel. Paired with a simple set and dramatic lighting to accentuate light and shadow and a colour scheme that gave the work a fresh, modern look.
We wanted to bring everything in closer and immerse the audience in Sheku's performance
TV, Online and Out of Home
A more modern approach
results:
Released in January 2020, the album made chart history
Sheku became the first classical instrumentalist in over 30 years to make the top 10 and the first cellist in history to land a place in the UK official album chart Top 10. His album entered the official UK album charts at number 8 and putting Sheku in the company of ‘pop’ artists like Stormzy and Selena Gomez.
Black Paint’s images and video have captured the true essence and power of Sheku’s talent.
TEST ACTIVITY:
Video: 30 second TV, 60 second online. Social Content Photography: Online. Out of Home (U.K)
30s
60s
Knowledge and insight
Classical music elitism
Read more on this topic to understand why as well as making incredible music, Sheku is helping to inspire new audiences to discover the genre and learn to play the cello
