The Making Of “BS” With Milan Ring

Sydney artist Milan Ring has teamed up with the UK’s Che Lingo for her new single “BS”, which dropped on 28th April with a stunning music video to boot.

Milan is the definition of the modern multi-hyphenate artist: singer, rapper, guitarist, producer, mix engineer – you name it, she does it. Meticulously involved in every part of her creative process – from the final mix to her aesthetic – Milan is an artist to watch.

Having worked in the studio with artists such as SZA, DRAM, Chance The Rapper’s group The Social Experiment, BJ The Chicago Kid, LL Cool J, The Avalanches, and more, on “BS”, Milan recruits Che Lingo for smooth yet speedy rap verses. Born out of a Zoom collaboration, the pair’s vocals intertwine harmoniously over a hypnotic beat led by guitars, which features Milan’s echoing eye-roll on the chorus as she sings: “I gotta deal with this bullshit every day now”.

Speaking on her collaboration with Che, Milan said, “I think his flow and timing is so on point and his lyricism is intelligent and playful. So we just reached out to him to feature and a few weeks later Che and I jumped on a zoom together and got to chat about the song and what it means and just speak about music and artistry in general. What I loved about working with him, was that he is super passionate and was really invested in the song holistically”.

Sydney-based South Asian performing arts company BINDI BOSSES choreographed the video and the single artwork after Milan had attended some of their workshops, which blend traditional Indian dance styles with hip-hop and contemporary dance. “I have been particularly drawn to the beauty, and interested in the symbology of the Mudras – traditional Indian dance techniques expressed by the hands. Working closely with friend and founder Shyamla alongside Smrithi from BINDI BOSSES to identify the best mudra to represent the single, we landed on the mudra ‘aarala’ which symbolises drinking poison. ‘BS’ talks about self-sabotaging behaviours in the forms of drinking, gambling and anger, so this mudra seemed perfectly placed”.

“When performing the single, which I’ve done a couple of times now, I always end up salsa dancing on stage” Milan continues, “so it seemed like a fun idea to bring out my years of dabbling in the art form and all of the dance classes I had in Cuba, into the clip. I am used to salsa dancing with a partner, so I worked with the director Bou, who was also the movement coach for the video, to formulate the solo salsa dancing sequences. We workshopped ideas and she found spaces for me to just free flow dance and express myself how I like to with my hands and arms, moving energy around. I think I am destined to practice Tai Chi at some point in my life!”

Milan has been working with her friend Bou (bou design house + BOU DIREXTOR) on all of her Creative Direction for the past year, including the styling for the “BS” music video. “Watching Bou work is inspiring, she has an incredible eye and such a beautiful design aesthetic and approach to what she does. She had a clear and bold vision for the clip from the onset and executed it exactly as intended, leading the creative direction with her extended team from bou design house with Courtney Covey in control of wardrobe and set design.

Yellow is obviously a theme and is just my favourite colour that I resonate with energetically. Beyond that, we intentionally brought out my cultural identity, being Indian and Chinese. I love to be super creative and experimental with clothing and fashion which the bou team do so well, bringing in multiple influences and pieces and making something unique. It’s similar to how I approach my music really, bringing in all these influences and making something authentic to me”.

“I feel very lucky to have been able to shoot this video with COVID under control in Aus and to be able to work with such an incredible crew to achieve the vision”, Milan said. “When Bou and I first discussed the creation of a clip, we wanted to take on the more positive side of the song. Stepping away from reactionary self-sabotaging behaviours, and instead finding light and resilience from within, brushing off the BS – and most importantly dancing it all away!”

Credits:

BOU | DIREXTOR and Movement Coach

Alexander Leeway | Cinematographer

bou design house | Production Design & Wardrobe

Amy Watson | Producer

Courtney Covey | Art Director

Annabel Scanlan and Jahra Mortimer | Art Assistants

Matthew Wideman | Focus Puller

Julius Koiuistomen | Steadicam

Nathan Youssef and Rewiti Brown | Gaffer

Renata Dominik | Photography

Daniel Pardy | Grade