Back in September, Major Lazer and Showtek teamed up to deliver “Believers,” a hard hitting collaboration that struck a balance between trap and dancehall. The two musical forces have joined up again this week to offer up an official music video for the tune, which takes a stance on the current state of affairs in Syria.
The concept for the “Believers” video draws inspiration from the Syrian conflict, specifically the infamous image of Omran Daqneesh, which depicted the young boy covered in ash and rubble after he survived an air strike attack. The video follows a young boy and juxtaposes shots of his family and community against imagery of destruction and mayhem.
Compared to previous Major Lazer videos, the clip for “Believers” is far more emotionally and politically charged than we might have expected. Director Christopher Louie, the man behind Netflix’s EDM film XOXO, revealed in a quote that Diplo and Showtek member Sjoerd Janssen contributed heavily to the video’s concept.
Like everyone in the world I was heartbroken by that image [of Omran Daqneesh], but I also saw a glimmer of hope. As dark as the subject matter is, the point of our “Believer” video was to capture the resilience of youth and the hope displayed by communities coming together to save victims from the rubble. If it wasn’t for the support from Sjoerd of Showtek and guidance from Diplo and his creative director Sara, this video would not have turned out as emotionally powerful as it has.
Major Lazer revealed late last year that Music Is The Weapon, the follow up to 2015’s Peace Is The Mission, will be released this month. Stay tuned for that, and check out the “Believers” music video above.