August Wahh Releases ‘Elated’ in a Synergistic Launch
August Wahh returns with a triumphant new tune, celebrated with collaborative visuals and received warmly around the globe. Hitting 100,000 streams in its first week, Elated was written and recorded on the spot - sparking excitement and eventually extending into expressions in other art forms.
Photo by: @jesse.jpg; Graphic by Mike Parker
As accidental magic goes, the spur-of-the-moment recording birthed an empowerment anthem that evokes a feeling of clarity. With crwn’s suave beats and jazzy sonic touches, Elated makes a great case for both easy listening and soulful rumination.
“crwn had a beat he played, and I wrote along it with a reminder that no matter what you've been through, the goal is to rise above situations that made you feel small…” the singer-songwriter shares. Elated navigates through the trials of life with a recovered sense of identity and purpose, a relevant sentiment during these times of uncertainty.
While introspection blankets our psyche on a global scale, more and more artists are connecting online and finding creative ways to communicate their internal and external experiences. The space for sharing talent seems to have widened, and a form of co-authored work is visibly taking root in the digital realm.
The single’s artwork is a shot by travel photographer @jesse.jpg, transformed with aesthetic design and animations by graphic artist Mike Parker. Elated is also personified in visual expression by Sonic Yonix, a multi-cultural creative duo comprised of visual artists Bianca Gonzalez-Marra (NYC) and Diandre Fuentes (CA). They have knack for breathing culture into their surreal-life illustrations, celebrating the quirky underbelly of femininity and brown people power. After marinating on the track, the two cooked up their own colourful take on Elated and the vibrant character of its heroine.
24 Likes, 3 Comments - Sonic Yonix (@sonicyonix) on Instagram: "✨ Sonic Yonix had the pleasure of teaming up with the soulful and sultry @augustwahh to cook up..."
Photo by @jesse.jpg
With her fierce authenticity and powerful vulnerability, August Wahh channels her energy towards promoting self-worth. Having been picked up by Spotify’s RADAR program and with Elated making it on some of their biggest playlists, August embraces her blessings in humility. The day after the release, she caught up with Jakarta-based music collective GOODNWS, sharing a live performance and a casual Q&A on IG Live - where she sang an old Filipino song in her native tongue bisaya.
Reflecting on her chosen route and reminiscing on the highs of pre-lockdown days, the accompanying lyric video shows behind-the-scene moments: the Elated photoshoot in Siargao last October; tour diaries captured by director Shallah Montero last December; and snippets of trips, gigs, and peeks into a day in the life of a hardworking, fun-loving musician.
Photo c/o August Wahh
A spontaneous studio session grew into a musical statement that finds refuge in timelessness. She asks rhetorically “does it matter where I go?” while also guaranteeing to own every decision she makes.
Peep ‘Elated’ below: