Charismatic, Dallas based Hip-hop artist Arash Motian aka Motian, releases a powerful song and video for his latest single, "Keep Living," featuring Kayla Rose. Born in Tehran City and moving to the United States at the age of 12, it was love at first sight when he witnessed his first rap battle and realized that storytelling through lyrics and rhyme was a way to connect with other kids in the universe.
For this Emcee, it is all about making impactful music and releasing it into the world. His latest singles, "Hustle," "Hold Me," "DNA," and "Myself and The Journey," have received over 150,000 streams on Spotify, keeping his momentum in full force.
"Keep Living" begins with the striking sounds of a piano playing a euphonious tune that slowly welcomes up-tempo drums to counterpart the radiating mellow vibes. The collaborative duo begins singing sweet sounds, shedding a powerful chorus with a pure message. The visuals pan back and forth between their pure partnership in the studio to the hustle and bustle of the big city life. Their vocals complement each other as they both have a different flair to offer in the power they exude, all while bringing peace and tranquility while we are graced with the visuals.
The cadence and prevailing carriage from Motian's delivery pull you into the united front that is being created with the lyricism and visuals of people coming together all over the world to protest and stand cohesive for the Black Lives Matter movement. The lyrics are showcased with the music video, making it extremely easy to capture the essence of the message being given and transmitting it into your own vision of what unity truly means.
The communication that is "united we stand, got 'em petrified," is delivered in a manner that has us tapping into the deepest part of our souls wanting to speak up against social injustices in the world. Motian creates a safe place for our minds to travel, and we are looking forward to more powerful messaging from him in the future.
Congratulations on the release of, “Keep Living.” How did a beautiful collaboration such as you and Kayla Rose come to be?
She is my Fiance. We met through music and she's been developing her career alongside mine. It's a beautiful thing! she has a motherly voice that is calming so I knew putting her in this song would give it the vibe that it needs.
How important is it to you to speak out against social injustices while you convey a message in the music that you put out?
It's important to unite the people, especially in a time when everyone in the country is so divided. My goal for this song was to create common ground and speak with empathy.
Could you please take us into the creative process behind the “Keep Living,” visuals? What was it like working with Louis Quintero, Cotton Bro, and Kelly Lacy?
This video was put together in a way that most people aren't used to. I directed the video myself, went downtown Dallas and shot my footage. Once that was done, I reached out to Nima T from OKC, he is one of the best filmmakers and editors on the come up. He took my footage and added everything you see in this video. We contacted Cotton Bro films and got permission to use the footage of riots, protests, and the people that are in the video. Initially, I didn't intend for it to work out this way but it worked out better than I could imagine.
What did the studio recording session look like for you and Kayla Rose when working together?
It was an hour and a half session at Legacy Music Group in Deep Ellum, TX. Once I laid my verses down, we spent the majority of the time working on Kayla Rose's part which was the most important in our opinion. Overall, everything seemed very effortless, it came together very naturally.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
2020 has been wild, to say the least. Just seeing everything that's been going on has affected me in a lot of ways. The pandemic taught me to be self-sufficient. Working from home taught me that I need to be doing a lot more right here at home. Getting myself and the family ready for whatever comes our way next.