So London had just come out of lockdown and it became almost essential to go to as many parties as possible to make up for lost time. I was going out frequently and surrounded by young adults who were almost always under the influence.
It kind of became normal to just ignore our limits and order another drink, so when I then caught Covid and was forced to stay home for 10 days, I had a chance to reflect on my relationship with alcohol. I thought it’d be cool to explore this through music and that’s how “Tipsy” was born.
I’d actually just finished writing the track “Favourite” and decided to keep going, so I listened through other beats I’d been sent by Shek, and when I heard this dark and sultry beat, I knew it would be perfect for “Tipsy”. Within a matter of hours, the lyrics were complete and I recorded once I was out of quarantining.
Once it was finished, every time I listened to the track, I imagined what the visuals would look like and one thing about me is that if I get an idea in my head, I need to see it through.
I hit up Aisyah Octavia (one of the hardest visual creatives out there, who also happens to be my close friend) and shared my ideas with her and we just got stuck in. She’s honestly my go to because she always delivers and we always have the most fun whilst doing so.
We started with the cover art and essentially wanted to capture the journey to a motive. In the lyrics of the song, the character is already half way through the night and considering her journey back home, so I wanted the cover art to be a sort of prelude to the evening.
Aisyah and I mapped out a journey round South London (shout out South) and just hopped on various trains and buses to try and get “the” photo. I loved all the photos but when I saw the one with the red lighting across my face and that vacant look in my eyes, I knew it had to be the cover art as we now know it.
Next, we worked on the video which was pretty intense. I was in the final weeks of my degree at Westminster, as well as working a part time role, so my stress levels were just through the roof around the time of shooting. It’s also not easy being the centre of attention for like 13 hours straight!
We got started around 1pm and didn’t pack up until 2am, but I must admit I have some of the greatest people around me who just make everything better and easier, so we got through it. One thing I learnt about myself on set is that I’m really good at acting tipsy so my drama classes at Brit did pay off! Oh and I also learnt that a halloumi wrap with chips slaps after a long day.
Overall, the making of “Tipsy” was an interesting journey. It stemmed from quite a deep and complex concept, exploring drinking and its effects, but what came of that exploration is a song I’m really proud of and some hard visuals if I do say so myself!
Watch the music video for “Tipsy” below and stream it elsewhere here.
