With a desire to highlight local talent, the music video for 'Outside' showcases the vision of an entirely Asian-Australian cast, crew and creative team.
Fresh from releasing her passionate pop-fuelled debut album City Lights in August, Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Sharl continues to prove why we hailed her one of the city’s brightest sparks of musical light with the release of not one, but two music videos for her single ‘Outside’.
Lifted from City Lights, ‘Outside’ is a feel-good disco-pop song that assets Sharl’s vocal abilities and songwriting talents while effortlessly spanning multiple subgenres of vivid pop.
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Using music as not only a form of therapy but also as an alternative lens through which to experience, process and understand her world, Sharl inspires and delights with the performance music video of ‘Outside’, out now via YouTube.
Inspired by an underworld beyond the city lights, the video builds upon the urbane-disco sounds with a noir meets cyberpunk aesthetic, highlighting Sharl’s confidence and self-assurance as she plays a femme fatale throughout the clip.
With a desire to highlight local talent, Sharl teamed up with Hustle Dance Crew – one of the premier K-pop dance crews in Melbourne to bring another layer of electric energy to the tight, engaging pop song that directly expresses its message.
“This was my first collaboration with Hustle Dance Crew. I had often seen them around town with their famous performances at Fed Square and actually been a fan of theirs for years,” Sharl explains.
“They perform with such incredible talent and energy across a whole range of dance styles and I love watching their videos. Although they’re known for their dynamic K-pop covers, I was always curious about whether it would be possible to pull off making a completely original music video using the essence of K-pop (original K-pop style choreography, main music video, dance version video) as it’s something I’d never seen anyone do before on the indie scene.
“I raised the idea with Kristie, leader of HDC and choreographer for Outside, and we decided to give it a shot! It was so fun working together, especially seeing the development of the choreography which fits the lyrics and music perfectly. I love how everyone just threw themselves into the project, giving it their all, especially with the acting improv which was so fun and we all had a blast filming the video.”
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Filled with sharp and precise movements, hyper-feminine grooves, and playful gestures, the K-pop inspired music video is entirely infectious. Leaning heavily into the pulsating pop and vibrant dance beats of the track, the video as a whole boasts incredible levels of creativity, teamwork, precision, energy, and passion.
Hailing from the sleepy parts of the UK where she spent her teenage years playing music, writing songs and studying to become a doctor, the Asian-Australian songwriter is passionate about highlighting Asian community across Melbourne and Australia, and approached the music video with a vision of an entirely Asian-Australian cast, crew and creative team.
“Advocating for more visibility of Asian creatives is something that I care about. Growing up in the UK, I rarely saw that representation and I believe there is some truth in the phrase “You can’t be what you can’t see”. So I hope that the work of everyone in the ‘Outside’ video, collectively and our separate projects, inspires others who aspire to work in the arts industries,” she explains.
Directed by Darius Chan and performed within Melbourne’s iconic music venue, Paris Cat Jazz Club, the impressive creative team features assistant camera Joanna Wong, makeup artist Frankie Starrson, producer Daniel Bohen, and local creatives such as Kevin Silvester and Ash Winarizal from indie band The Clever References making up the cast.
Shining a light on the established underground artistic Asian community, Sharl approached the music video driven by the fact that the creatives maintaining the scenes are still underrepresented in mainstream consciousness.
“There is actually a thriving community of Asian indie creatives in Melbourne across different disciplines (including music, dance, film, art), although it may not be that visible to everyone. So this team fell together very organically, with Kristie recommending Darius Chan to direct the video, Darius suggesting Frankie for makeup/SFX (with the SFX being one of my favourite things in the video!), and then recruiting some fellow muso friends to join us for the ride acting as gangsters.
“I think dance and film are such natural ways to interpret and express music further, so this music video is the perfect collaboration of the different areas to create our own “Outside” world.”
Using music as not only a form of therapy but also as an alternative lens through which to experience, process and understand her world, the part-time musician and full-time doctor continues to embrace the same authenticity from her songs with the music video, which remains light and fun while communicating a meaningful story.
Alongside the memorable bright and bubbly dance video, Sharl also released an official music video, featuring the same creative team, cast, location and choreography, with a heightened focus on telling a story about taking chances and giving into temptation.
A sheer, raw talent, Sharl has gone from strength to strength over the past year, re-emerging an an independent artist, releasing a string of singles, a ethereal and indulging coming-of-age debut album and a handful of creative music videos that see Sharl at her very best: fresher, revitalised and more confident than ever.
Notably, Sharl’s video for album track ‘I Fell in Love’ made waves in the film festival circuit with results such as award winner at the Hollywood Gold Awards, finalist in the Love International Film Festival, Cannes World Film Festival, quarter-finalist in the Los Angeles Film Awards, well and truly proving her ability to shine through today’s cluttered musical jungle.
Listen to City Lights here.
