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The video was created in conjunction with the audio recording of this song, intending for them to be experienced together. The song is part of Chesne’s new album, “Descendants (in 79 languages)” which was released in July and is a conceptual celebration of humanity’s commonality. The album interweaves the single phrase “We are the descendants” — but in 79 different languages including Khmer, French, Igbo, Portuguese, Xhosa, Korean, and Ukrainian, among many others. It is an eclectic collection that crosses the genre lines of World-Beat, New Age, Neo-Classical, and Electronica, all bound by the one common phrase. The spirit of the album has been compared to Disney’s “It’s a Small World” — but for the modern age.
With the idea in mind that our fate is intertwined, the setting of the 10-minute, short-film-style video is on Earth in the future, after the Earth is uninhabitable. Platinum recording artist, rapper Fredo Bang, who is one of the lead vocalists on the album, is walking inside an "Earth station". On the walls of the station are monitors with faces of other vocalists from around the world, each singing the single phrase, "We are the descendants", but in their 79 native languages.
The video shows a young boy on the Earth station experimenting with a giant laser that eventually pierces the wall of the structure, which takes us into part two of the video. Here, we see a car accident scene where, in order to save a child beneath a burning car, many people must lift together to save him. Their strength comes from their unity.
The key concept behind the dramatic ending is that all of us are going to have to struggle together if we’re to survive together. The music in the video includes two songs from the album, along with additional composition by Steven Chesne that scores the film and connects the two songs together seamlessly.
"The music that accompanies the big dramatic ending, the Finale of the album, involves all of the languages singing simultaneously. This sounds a bit like a gigantic cosmic nebula sort of choir. This is eventually overtaken by a symphony orchestra. The choir and the orchestra struggle together, and it’s a really unique, fascinating sound. It’s an extremely full, very complex texture." - Steven Chesne
In addition to Platinum recording artist, rapper Fredo Bang, the album features Uyanga Bold (vocalist in Disney’s “Mulan,” and Marvel’s “Spiderman”), Christine Hals (vocalist in Disney’s “Frozen 1 & 2”, and “League of Legends”), Nimol (lead singer of “Peter Gabriel presents Dengue Fever”), members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, as well as two-time Grammy winning vocalist Hila Plitmann, among many other regional and indigenous artists around the world.
Mr. Chesne has scored 17 theatrical films and over 300 episodes of prime-time network shows including: Batman: the Animated Series (nominated by the International Film Music Critics Association), Family Man, Family Matters, Getting By, Girls Across the Lake, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, The Hogan Family, Kirk, Life Happens, Perfect Strangers, Step by Step, Two of a Kind, Valerie, LA Times Critics’ Pick Zen Noir, Determined, The Trip, and No Turning Back.
This first-of-its-kind collection is the fruit of four years of production. It took Mr. Chesne a year to acquire and study recordings of accurate translations from native speakers in all 79 languages and then to compose a different melody for each phrase so that all of the phrases worked together musically. Another year was spent connecting with eminent vocalists and arranging recordings all over the world, from Madagascar to Albania, from Kenya to the Netherlands. The next two years were devoted to creating additional songs using these phrases, and producing the album and video.
The 10-minute, short-film-style video originally premiered on UK's Music News online publication and is now released world-wide publicly through YouTube. Several private "live" premiere screenings of the film will be held in September, including at the Clive Davis Theater at the Grammy Museum®️ at L.A. Live (Los Angeles, CA) and other entertainment industry events. The album is currently available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. Music from the album is currently playing on community radio stations across the country.
Amanda Alexandrakis
Music Promotion, Inc.
+1 970-377-0313
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