Forward-thinking, outspoken American artist Azealia Banks has launched the video for her new track “Wallace”.
The track and video – taken from her critically acclaimed debut album “Broke With Expensive Taste” – was produced byCollins and directed by Nick Ace and Rob Soucy (in collaboration with Banks). The video was built on Google Cloud Platform and works exclusively on Google’s Chrome browser, and is available to view at wallace.azealiabanks.com.
This groundbreaking, web-cam driven, interactive film features Azealia Banks like you’ve never seen before. Fans can interact via their web-cam device, instantly transforming their browser into a living mirror. As someone renowned for her passion and affinity for new technology and social media, this is the perfect platform for Azealia Banks and is a bold new step toward increasing artist and fan interaction.
By looking at yourself and Azealia Banks on your screen, you can instantly control her movements and place yourself in the backdrop of her new music video. This achievement would not be possible without the use of Google Cloud Platform products: Google App Engine and Google Cloud Storage.
“Story makes technology emotional while technology makes story immersive,” said Leland Maschmeyer, Executive Creative Director and co-founder of Collins. “Collins believes marrying story and technology is as powerful as it is necessary. The team did a remarkable job finding the emotional heart of Azealia’s song and leveraging Google technology to make it uncommonly real and responsive. And Azealia supported it all.”
“I’m such a huge fan of technology and creative new ways of interacting and engaging with fans, so this collaboration was perfect for me. Music videos are as much of an art form as the music itself. The more I can push myself in my creative endeavors, the better. Working side by side with this incredible team of tech-creatives was a truly unique and enjoyable experience, and I’m thrilled to be part of a potentially groundbreaking new “norm” in the future of making music videos,” said Azealia Banks of the project.
The new interactive video for Azealia Bank’s “Wallace” can now be viewed worldwide here at: http://wallace.azealiabanks. com
In other news, Azealia Banks will be bringing her debut album “Broke With Expensive Taste” to life and will be hitting the road this spring with headline tour dates and select festival appearances across North America and Europe. These include appearances at Reading and Leeds Festivals on 29th and 30th August and Loves Saves the Day Festival on 24th May in the UK, and Coachella Festival on 10th April and 17th April in the US.
“Broke With Expensive Taste” was released digitally in November 2014 and immediately topped the charts worldwide and received critical praise from the world’s leading and most respected publications. Now, her impressive debut will now be available on CD via Prospect Park Records on 23rd March. Azealia Banks merchandise is now also available online here.
On March 20th, Playboy Magazine’s annual music issue will be revealed, featuring Azealia Banks on the cover. Azealia Banks was shot by legendary photographer Ellen Von Unwerth (who also shot Drew Barrymore’s famous Playboy Magazine cover in 1995), and joins an impressive line of legendary female icons who have also been featured on the cover, including Marilyn Monroe, Kate Moss, Barbara Streisand, Mariah Carey, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Sharon Stone,Drew Barrymore, Grace Jones, Raquel Welsh, Lizzy Jagger, Chelsea Handler, Dolly Parton, Goldie Hawn, Joan Collins, andSally Field to name a few. Catch a sneak peak of her shoot exclusively via Playboy.com/Azealia
“Broke With Expensive Taste” is available now on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.
