Toronto's Mark Clennon has shared new single "Kingston," which comes attached to a pretty ground-breaking video — directed by Clennon and M. H. Murray, it's the first to be shot in Jamaica that features an onscreen romance between two men.
Clennon was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and in a statement about the song and video, he said:
Kingston means so much to me as it's the first song I've written that directly addresses a same sex partner, as opposed to the more general terms I have used in the past. Given the unique nature of the video, much care had to be taken to ensure that we were able to shoot all of the scenes without ruffling any feathers. All in all we are beyond proud of what we have been able to accomplish.
In a press release, Clennon said that his love for his birthplace and its people inspired the song and accompanying video, aiming to "give hope not only to members of the LGBTQ+ community in his homeland," but to marginalized groups of all stripes:
I directed, wrote, and produced the video for Kingston in the hopes of creating positive representation for LGBTQ+ people. It follows two men living in Jamaica who just happen to be gay: the concept is simple, but still very taboo over there. It was important to me to show hopeful images rather than the horrible realities that queer people see around the world, in order to detach homophobia from the narrative of the gay experience. If one person sees the video for Kingston and feels more optimistic about the future and at peace with themselves, then I've reached my goal.
Clennon's last release was 2021's Foreign EP.
Check out the "Kingston" video below.
Clennon was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and in a statement about the song and video, he said:
Kingston means so much to me as it's the first song I've written that directly addresses a same sex partner, as opposed to the more general terms I have used in the past. Given the unique nature of the video, much care had to be taken to ensure that we were able to shoot all of the scenes without ruffling any feathers. All in all we are beyond proud of what we have been able to accomplish.
In a press release, Clennon said that his love for his birthplace and its people inspired the song and accompanying video, aiming to "give hope not only to members of the LGBTQ+ community in his homeland," but to marginalized groups of all stripes:
I directed, wrote, and produced the video for Kingston in the hopes of creating positive representation for LGBTQ+ people. It follows two men living in Jamaica who just happen to be gay: the concept is simple, but still very taboo over there. It was important to me to show hopeful images rather than the horrible realities that queer people see around the world, in order to detach homophobia from the narrative of the gay experience. If one person sees the video for Kingston and feels more optimistic about the future and at peace with themselves, then I've reached my goal.
Clennon's last release was 2021's Foreign EP.
Check out the "Kingston" video below.
