Art of Bodybending blooms as new song and music video Roses On My Piano releases this month

01/06/2021 12:28:55 PM

2020 may be hard for a lot of artists due to the pandemic and lockdown, while others have fortunately found a way to still turn it into an opportunity. Such is the case of a woman named Art of Bodybending, whom is set to release her single and music video for the first time in a very long while. 

Roses On My Piano is the first work – and the latest, so far – for AoBB as she never let this long setback period ruin her great start on what she considers a 'pivotal year'. While she also managed to get on stage just like any other performer, this multi-disciplinary artist is known to flaunt her signature art of concealing a sad story inside an entertaining, poetic, and astoundingly sexual allegory.

This new song is Art of Bodybending's story of her artistic rebellion, looking back, and letting go – all done in a term she coins as “sexuallegory.”

“Roses on My Piano is my last love letter to my one and only love that I have to say goodbye to. That’s the piano,” said AoBB. Growing up, my parents were absolutely anti-art and wouldn’t let me sing, dance, or even let me near instruments. But I wanted to do piano so bad, and in first-year high school, I saved up all my lunch money instead of eating lunch to save up enough for piano lessons, and then I would sneak out of school to take them at a nearby mall.” 

She added, “It took a few years for me to find the guts to go back to music, my true love, and here we are now, with my music releases, but my dream of playing the piano has long passed me by. There are so many years of dedication, hours of practice, funds for lessons, that I can no longer get back. I’ve already been building my career in my other art forms too, so I can’t just give all that up to go back to this. It really breaks my heart.”

And when she said for the sexuallegory in this song, she said “F***ing a pianist!” as she laughed so hard that she slides lopsided on her chair. 

But with all seriousness, the new song Roses On My Piano has a mixture of vintage, traditional sound and modern-day, radical-driven lyricism.

“I loved creating that paradox. The sound is so traditional that you could call it antiquated, but the lyrics are very progressive, inspiring listeners to break from the world that they’re used to. That’s the gift I want to give to my audience, and it’s also a gift to myself, since I love swing music more than anything, and that’s the kind of song I want to make, regardless of modern times or marketability. And the greeting card of that gift which is the lyrics says to everyone, especially women, you can just ask for what you want.”

Moreover, taking the new step of creating a music video is something she tells the ' most crucial thing' as a musician.

“It’s really the only medium that would do my artistry justice,” said AoBB, who also dabs into dancing, acting, and playwright. “It would be unfair to my audience and  myself to settle for audio, so I decided that video would be the perfect fit for me to show everyone the whole picture, literally!”

Getting this idea was quite an easy one, but the execution was quite difficult and exhilarating one, especially in today's setting where people are more encouraged to stay at their respective homes.

“I really wasn't sure if people would be willing to take on a project this big since times were so hard and restrictions were so heavy, making people extremely cautious,” AoBB said of its making. “Logistically, there were so many things unavailable to us, but I mustered the courage to ask everyone I possibly could for DIY equipment, an available venue, and my musician friends to record the song and star in the music video. It took me a whole year of saving up and waiting out times of ECQ and case spikes, but I found that if you had a solid concept and approached like-minded people with sincerity and passion, you'll find a lot of support from those with the desire to create art.”

AoBB serves as a villain for the 1960s-driven music video, an era where certain items are too taboo for public television.

“The song is my tribute to the double entendres of 1960's television. Back then, TV time was a family affair, so if there were sexy jokes on a show, they would have to make sure they were double entendres so the adults would get it, but the kids would not. But the character I wrote is angry about the suppression. She longs for change, so she goes about it by causing a disruption on the media - but in all the wrong ways.”

She added, “As a result of my antagonist’s actions, my band splits up into two factions – the conservative and the liberal. I created the storyline so that each of my characters would have a polar opposite on the other side.” 

While the song appears to have a different purpose on a personal level, AoBB wants to tell that radicalism may get in the way for people, but that shouldn't be a hinder to do something together.

“We can make the decision to coexist even with those who share opposite beliefs, and influence their community to do the same so there can be peace. The outcome is so much more unique when we collaborate with each other, respecting each other’s differences and fusing them into an artwork that hasn’t been done before.” 

Roses On My Piano will first debut in Art of Bodybending's gig at Conspiracy Garden Cafe in Quezon City on 8 January 2021. Meanwhile, the single will be out by the following week (15 January 2021); and the music video, by later in the month (22 January 2021).

Author: slickmaster | © 2021 The SlickMaster's Files