To commemorate this Thanksgiving weekend. I thought it would be appropriate to send this beautiful music video out to the world called Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) by New York based artist Taiyo Na from his debut album Love is Growth. I completed the final cut of the music video on Thanksgiving day and thought it would be nice to give thanks to our moms and to all the people who shared part in raising us.
I want to give a very special shout out and thank you to Taiyo Na for trusting me and for allowing me to take his song on this journey, to back up his beautiful song with visuals and stories from our community here in Philadelphia from Chinatown to Love Park and beyond.
A very big thank you to David Lin and the Asian Arts Initiative for helping to produce this project. As well as Eric Law and Wai Man Ip from Chinese Culture and Arts Inc. and Karen Tha and Annie Tran from QT Vietnamese Sandwich in Chinatown.
This is not just a music video it’s a community arts film project involving so many voices and volunteers. I thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who were apart of this vision. I could not have done it with out you. I was merely the conductor orchestrating all these amazing moments. I only hope that what you see is something that is unique, honest, and powerful.
Please share this with your friends, family, loved ones close and far. I hope this is a reminder to us all where we all came from.
If you like what you see please support Taiyo Na by purchasing his debut album “Love is Growth” at www.taiyona.com
You can also make a tax deductible financial contribution to the Asian Arts Initiative at www.asianartsinitiative.org
Much love & respect,
Gary San Angel
Director
“Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)”
Artist: Taiyo Na
Album: Love Is Growth
Label: Issilah Productions
Director: Gary San Angel
Producer: David Lin
Co-Producer: Asian Arts Initiative, Gary San Angel
Featuring the Asian Arts Initiative
and the larger Philadelphia Community.
Additional Vocals: Vudoo
Violins: Jason Kao Hwang
Electric Bass: Mas Yamagata
Additional Instrumentation: Taiyo Na
© 2009 Taiyo Na & Gary San Angel
www.taiyona.com
www.componentgeek.com
www.asianartsinitiative.org
For additional credits, reflections on the process, and the making of this music video please visit:
www.componentgeek.com
Duration : 0:4:56
[youtube cAK9XGd-JKI]
hey sup! today i …
hey sup! today i was just flipping thru the channels and i stumbled upon this “asian american” talk show. the host was a musican. and i said to my b/f, hey i think i’m familiar with that guy on youtube. i swear, i’m quite sure it was you. anyways, cant say anything different from what others said about this video. but i think its very well done.
very touching.
very touching.
very deep piece…5 …
very deep piece…5*z brutha
wow.. i know …
wow.. i know someone just like this. ha
this is very strong.
Thanks for this …
Thanks for this powerful video and beautiful message my dude.
awesome!!!
awesome!!!
Goodness… I …
Goodness… I almost cried. Wonderful.
very touching and …
very touching and beautiful. Reminded me when I was little and my mom would be making hair accessories with her sowing machine and every day I would walk with her in the morning, take the subway to Manhattan, walk some more to the business, take the subway back and by then it was already night.
I wish people …
I wish people hating on immigrants and arguing about whether they have a “right” to belong here could see this vid and realize those people coming over are real people, someone’s husband, sister, someone’s mom just lookin’ for a chance for a future for their families.
This was so authentic – I could imagine my own immigrant mama in those grainy pictures.
your lyrics are …
your lyrics are hella good
Great job Gary, …
Great job Gary, Taiyo, Gayle, Toni, and everyone at AI!!!!
Fabulous!
Fabulous!
taiyo, it’s …
taiyo, it’s beautiful. will pass it on…
so pro! I love it
so pro! I love it
great song…
i …
great song…
i almost cried …
beautiful
beautiful
song is deep
i …
song is deep
i like it
love this song & …
love this song & video.
nice videos man
nice videos man
Ahmazing!
Ahmazing!
Very Nice
Very Nice
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
Wow. this is …
Wow. this is beautiful! absolutely beautiful!
Awesome job man!
Awesome job man!
Great work. You’ve …
Great work. You’ve got wonderful vision, Gary. Top idea and brilliantly executed.