New Video: Samuel Gaskin 'RĀIN' ft. The Merindas
Samuel Gaskin reveals community-driven collaborative video for his haunting new single ‘RĀIN’ celebrating Indigenous ancestry and love
“Samuel Gaskin is one of a kind and he attributes himself to evocative storytelling and unabashedly genuine self-expression.” – Music Arena GH, UK
"An absolutely glorious paean to survival, resilience and expression and a ray of euphoric, golden sunshine during dark times: a veritable cinematic experience." – Arun Kendall, Backseat Mafia
“a masterpiece!” – Roadie Music, Portugal
At the tail end of last month, creative tour de force Samuel Gaskin revealed his spine tingling single ‘RĀIN’ to a slew of hungry fans accumulated from the lasting reverberations of his 2021 goosebump inducer ‘RECKŌNING’. Not long after, Sam performed his breakthrough single’s award-winning theatrical namesake ‘RECKŌNING’ in Melbourne for the first time with a live audience, cementing his place as a multidisciplinary savant who was born to entertain. Now, the unstoppable Gaskin is thrilled to unveil the striking new video for ‘RĀIN’ directed by Annelise Hickey.
A joyous celebration of Indigenous excellence and resilience, ‘RĀIN’ washes all the hard stuff away. It clears space and brings everything back to what’s truly important; the land, inner strength, connection and love. The video’s artistic concept between Samuel Gaskin and partner Johnny Hamilton was brought to life by Director, Annelise Hickey and Producer, Gabrielle Pearson (Majella Productions). Featuring ‘RĀIN’ collaborators The Merindas, fellow vocalists Paula Barbee, Mahana Maihi-Taniora and Piri Neho, and dancers Theodore Caddady and Florian Hench, the video actively dismantles of outdated ideas of identity and expression by way of bringing Indigenous songwriters, creatives and changemakers from Aotearoa, New Zealand and Te Whēnua Moemoeā (Land of The Dreamtime), Australia together in a mesmerising performance of epic Mana (spiritual power).
“I think Johnny and I were hyper aware that the clip for RECKŌNING turned out amazingly and this one needed to be even better. Reason being that it's just the way we roll when it comes to creativity. We are not happy unless we have stretched ourselves and our creativity ALL the way. Making RĀIN was both scary and empowering for many reasons. I think we nailed it. The icing on the cake was that we shot it on Invasion Day. That to me is the ultimate protest. Creating brilliant art that celebrates Indigenous stories and Life. The video for RĀIN is something I am unbelievably proud of.” – Samuel Gaskin
“I was honoured that such a force of nature like Sam wanted me to collaborate on the clip for RAIN. Sam’s work has so much heart and he has this superpower to draw in lovely and creative humans to collaborate with, so it was a no-brainer to be part of this project. Watching Sam and Johnny work together with a beautiful synchronicity and go to great lengths to bring it all together was truly inspiring.” – Annelise Hickey, Director
A passionate activist for diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry, Samuel Gaskin is an avid community collaborator, working almost solely with Indigenous artists including some of the country’s most distinguished acts like Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project and The Merindas. His arresting live shows can evoke a sense of pure joy and seemingly insurmountable grief within the same breath, leaving audiences awe-struck by his powerful storytelling and proudly authentic self-expression. Soon no one will be able to mention the Australian New Zealand pop scene without dropping Samuel Gaskin’s name. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled and ears pricked for more exciting projects to come from this rising talent.