FEEL: Davido’s Music Video Unveiled — A Visual Chronicle Beyond the Beats
“The darkest days are waging war,” a femme’s voice sets the premise for David Adeleke’s (known as Davido) FEEL music video.
It’s a war-bound situation across Lagos communities most notably, Lagos Island. Everyone is scampering for safety, and a woman can be seen grasping her baby.
In between, a building or two explodes!
Emphasizing the order of the set TG Omori attempts to curate, viewers get a dotting view of fighter jets and security operatives giving orders to allow only women and children onboard an old and rickety freight train (the kinds citizens of Lagos may discover in Yaba and Ikeja) headed to safety.
The whole situation is panicky and reminiscent of The Titanic.
As this unfolds, avid fans of Davido or the award-winning music video director, TG Omori may be pondering, “How does this relate to FEEL?” “Where does ‘dem go FEEL it,’” or “dem go run it down?” fit into this overambitious dramatization,” especially after tweets criticizing a trailer video shared by Omori hours before the full 3-minute clip hit the internet via YouTube.
But there’s redemption, or is there?
“Where do we go from here?” the femme narrator intercepts again as worried Lagosians in the scene try to get on the train.
No one is calm, and everyone’s throwing bouts of shouts at one another, particularly the security operatives guiding the vehicle.
Visuals then switch to music star Davido who tries earnestly to contact his love interest, a fine lady with an Afro.
The phone rings, but there is no response, and then the narrator returns with a few words.
The music kicks in. Fine lady is now on the train.
As David Adeleke fails to reach her, he goes searching through maps, globes, and satellite images in an attempt to locate his love interest.
As this happens, the scenes are quick and change between Davido’s singing and his vixen in what looks like a camp for Internally Displaced People.
IDP camps are makeshift housing schemes for those who have been evacuated (voluntarily or involuntarily) by insurgency, famine, or an ethnoreligious crisis, chiefly in northern Nigeria.
The somewhat typical music video shifts again, and it all unfolds in bits and pieces.
“I no wan sleep alone / Wanna hold you tight / Water full my eyes / But I’ll be alright,” the lyrics gradually connect to the clips that are revealed before the eyes of watchers.
This is a gentleman in distress because of the impending danger fashioned against his mistress.
Again, it’s possible that they had a fight as well, but the story definitely connects!
The song progresses with more intriguingly picturesque scenery. Davido is seen walking through a tunneled cave, and more shots of the “IDP camp” are featured.
For now, it’s looking solemn and quite disassociated from the joy listeners may have linked to FEEL on recent listens.
This is TG Omori’s first time working with 001 (a moniker for Davido) and he manages to make the act and visuals convey a myriad of human emotions.
And at the 1:53 mark of the music video, Davido exits the cave which is mysteriously situated at the exact safety camp where his love interest shelters.
How did he get here?!
It is questionable, seeing that there’s no way the Afrobeats maestro could’ve hiked a distance previously covered by a locomotive train.
But it’s beginning to bud regardless. Dancers surround the artiste with a quick chain of moves to match his melodious lyrics.
The choreography and coloring are also amazing! They do not seem out of place, and the dancers are clad in pauper monotone costumes. A realistic fit for victims of war.
They dance in an organized way, and Davido is occasionally given the freedom to stand strong in their midst.
His love interest rests in her makeshift room.
Eventually, Davido locates her and the femme immediately lights up!
They exchange hugs and pleasantries as Adeleke sings again, “Cos I’ve been on the phone / Calling you tonight / I wan make you show me / Make we no dey fight / I no wan sleep alone (no wan sleep alone) / Wanna hold you tight.” And as he says the last part, David places his hands on her waist while they maintain strong and alluring eye contact.
It’s all falling into place. The perfect love story TG Omori envisioned is falling into place.
At this moment, viewers may be thrown off while Davido attempts to transition into the chorus, “Dem go FEEL it,” because of a sharp contrast between the costumes worn in previous scenes.
This time the dancers in the play appear in suits, shiny jewelry, and trendy hairdos, but there’s more! It cuts to Davido singing in front of a cool automobile as well.
The sets are pushy. White, artistic, and colorful, and Davido’s not the only one appearing all dapper up suddenly.
His love interest too, is spotted with a new hairdo while she walks enticingly through the aisle of a train.
Sets and locations at this point? Even better! When we go from the old to the newly commissioned Lagos metro trains, it’s a breath of creative air.
More dancing, more vigor, costumes, sets, and angles as the song reaches its climax. Suddenly, fans can forgive the pitiable attempt at CGI at the start of the video with this grand roundup.
There’s a temporary change to the Afro girl’s previous attire and Davido’s and then viewers are brought back to their present-day, more sophisticated look in milliseconds.
It’s a war-bound situation across Lagos communities, most notably, Lagos Island. Everyone is scampering for safety, and a woman can be seen grasping her baby.
FEEL approaches the crux with a utopian and chilling Nigerian society endowed with modernity and calm.
It is dreamy, yes, but the music video is a visual allure of how award-winning music video director TG Omori transcends present-day Nigeria into art.
FEEL is not just a song, it’s a political statement!
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Originally Published on Friday, November 3, 2023
