London based singer/songwriter, Jaonere’s, latest music video for “Dotted Line” shows the raw and emotional side of a one-sided relationship. He could have taken things in a playful or sarcastic manner but instead, the video begins with Jaonere talking to his significant other on the phone and he isn’t able to fit a word in. The emotion and frustration on his face are evident and well-fit to the sentiments of the song. As Jaonere sings every word through a neighborhood landscape, he develops confidence and swagger that was absent from the intro. Throughout the visuals for “Dotted Line”, Jaonere inspires and uplifts listeners in similar situations, he slowly gains more energy and confidence with each verse. At the very end when “Dotted Line” comes to a close, we again see Jaonere sitting by the phone, but this time he lets it ring and walks away from the emotional turmoil.
Overall the brand new visuals for “Dotted Line” do a brilliant job of capturing the theme and powerful message of the song. Joanere gives his fans a view of his heart and soul in this new release. He turns life experiences into flawless and vulnerable lyricism, forming further connections with his fans.
Stream “Dotted Line” here and check out the brand new visuals and our exclusive interview with Jaonere below!
Welcome back to BuzzMusic! Can you tell us about your new song “Dotted Line”? What emotions did you channel when creating this song?
Thanks again for having me! The song “Dotted Line” explores the feeling of committing to something you haven’t quite ‘signed up for’. It has a bit of a throwback vibe yet contemporary and fresh. I have been wanting to write a song like this for a while now, but think when the idea came to me I wasn’t able to really articulate how I felt. Sometimes you have to move on from a situation to gain real perspective on your actions and the variables around the circumstances. The feeling of frustration and accountability was definitely the focus when writing the song. I felt like I was speaking for myself but also for others who have shared with me their own situations that mirrored the theme of “Dotted Line”. Whether it was in their work, love life, or personally, that feeling of frustration and then the retrospect of what you could have done differently to avoid the outcome always came up.
The music video is extremely captivating! What’s the overall concept?
Thank you! I’m glad you think so! The overall concept of the video starts off with a TV show where in the beginning, it is depicted as though it is “real life”, until the camera zooms out to reveal it’s inside the 1970’s TV. I chose a 1970’s TV with a wooden finish because it was reminiscent of the first TV I had in my living room growing up. My character in the TV show is having a conversation with someone on the phone, an actual 90’s transparent landline phone which you don’t really see anymore. The phone really added to the nostalgic feel.
My character on the phone illustrates the frustration of trying to come to a common ground after someone has had a “change of heart”, but this person refuses to hear you out on the matter. This leaves my character deflated and low as the camera pans out and transitions to me walking down Lancaster Road in West London. I’ve always loved this road because of the colour of the houses. The next three scenes express the narrative even more along with a choreography. This scene was shot near the neighbourhood of my childhood home. Maybe it’s familiarity, but for me, that neighbourhood will always feel like a place I can depend on and trust, even though I haven’t lived there in years. This sentiment contrasts to the theme of “Dotted Line”. The choreography is very strong and militant which almost makes it feel like I have back up from friends on the situation. In the final scene, the phone rings and my character considers picking up the phone but walks away to leave it ringing. This scene exemplifies that you don’t always have to stay in a situation that no longer serves you and that is OK to walk away as hard as it might be at times.
What was the filming process like?
The video was shot over two full days, perhaps 16 hours in total. The filming process was very smooth and felt really surreal as I have always wanted to put out a visual for a song. A friend recommended a friend of his called Kofi to shoot the video. He worked with a producer called Aiko who ran a casting with me to find dancers two weeks before shooting. I had never really done choreography before so this was new for me but I wanted to try something new and step out of my comfort zone. I made it clear to the dancers that they have nothing to worry about and if anything they would need to teach me a few things *laughs*. Day 1 was shot in Hackney Wick, which is in East London and Day 2 was shot at Lancaster Road in West London and Wembley, North West London. On both days it was a race against the sun as we needed natural daylight to achieve the looks we were going for in each scene, but I think they all came out pretty well in the end. I was the creative director and also assisted in the editing of the video as I had already envisioned how I wanted each scene to look, and feel before even finding anyone to film it.
How have you overcome and persevered through the feeling you had when creating “Dotted Line”?
Writing “Dotted Line” was very cathartic. I find that I’m able to share a situation with people once I’m over it. Also time, as I said earlier, you get a real perspective on a situation over time. Accountability is a big factor that has helped. When you realise that nothing is personal you can see things from an object standpoint. It no longer feels like a sensitive topic to address or highlight, but more so acknowledgment of what has transpired and how it can be rectified. It is true what they say, knowledge is most definitely power. From knowing the potential outcomes of any situation, you can safeguard yourself and others involved by being very clear form the get go to prevent mishaps. Probably easier said than done but the more you do it the less you will find yourself in the situation of feeling powerless and unsatisfied.
Do you have any plans to release any more singles before your EP release in January 2020?
The next single I want to release will likely be with the EP or just before in December. We’ll see, I have a few songs ready to go but it’s all about timing to give the song the best opportunity.
What do you hope to achieve as an artist going forward through the end of 2019?
Before the year ends I want to gain as many fans as possible as they are the foundation for any artist. Hopefully “Dotted Line” and the music video will be a good starting point for most. I also want to finish recording my EP and perhaps shoot another music video ready for 2020. Wish me luck!
Connect with Jaonere on social media for new music & more!