VANCOUVER, CANADA — Canadian production company Boldly has unveiled an empowering new music video for singer-songwriter and performer Amanda Sum’s latest single “Different Than Before.” Taken from her upcoming debut album, the music video is released in conjunction with Asian Heritage Month. The song, originally written in May 2020, when anti-Asian hate crimes were at an all-time high, exacerbated by the pandemic, aims to promote change and inclusivity through a hopeful story.
Directed by award-winning writer and director, Mayumi Yoshida, and starring world-renowned talents Tzi Ma and Olivia Cheng, the striking music video takes place at the engagement party of Sarah (Olivia Cheng), where she is celebrating with her sister Amanda, her parents, fiancé, and friends in a Chinese restaurant. The family is in the middle of an epic karaoke when their celebrations are rudely interrupted by a group of racist hecklers. The father, Baba (Tzi Ma), who is the central character of the film and the head of the family is put at a crossroads where he needs to decide what to do that is best for his family.
Strong advocates and activists against anti-Asian hate crimes themselves, Hollywood stars Tzi Ma and Olivia Cheng’s casting perfectly compliments the powerful message of the video. In addition to the cast promoting diversity and demanding change for the Asian community, for Boldly and the artist, it was important that all creators and producers on the project were represented both behind and in front of the camera, with more than half of the crew being female and BIPOC.
“The song was written at a time when my newsfeed was saturated with incidents of Asian hate crimes,” Sum said. “I remember feeling worried for my family and elders, and also confused and disappointed about the lack of support from my non-Asian friends. It felt to me like a communal grieving within the Asian community, that wasn’t given significant weight to anyone outside of it. I wrote ‘Different Than Before’ from a place of craving for a social shift. One of the things I’ve enjoyed so much about this project is that despite the song and video being rooted in something heavier, there is so much lightness inside of it. I think that’s so important, and Mayumi, Sebastien, and Lynne are so positive and fun to be around!”
Built as a community effort, the music video was sponsored by businesses and individuals, whose contributions helped to make it happen. Additionally, the film received funding from MVP Project, Prism Prize, the Canadian Academy of Film & Television, as well as the Province of British Columbia’s Creative BC initiative, ‘Different than Before’ was released globally online and across social media platforms on May 20, 2022.
