Kiwi-Brazilian pop star, Bandi takes a deep-dive into Ain’t Nobody, the newest single from her forthcoming debut EP.
Bandi has been on a consistent roll since as early as 2020, when the singer released what was her debut single, Maria Maria. Since then, the pop songstress has treated fans — who span from her home country across to audiences in her later residence in Los Angeles — to a handful of standalone tracks, namely in 2020’s Alxandah-assisted Further.
Now, Bandi has returned this year with her new single Ain’t Nobody. This striking follow-up to WGMI is the latest track to be lifted from the pop star’s upcoming EP titled Bittersweet. Fusing Afrobeats with sprightly bubblegum melodies, Ain’t Nobody reflects Bandi’s wide-reaching pop repertoire, drawing upon Latin American sounds as a bilingual songwriter. The track offers a promising taste of what’s to come on Bittersweet, which will mark Bandi’s debut project upon its expected release next year.
Bandi accompanied Ain’t Nobody with an equally colourful music video. Co-directed by Tom Grut and Bandi herself, the video premiered this week, and follows the singer as she traverses through a Lego world built by brickmaster, Brandon Wike. In celebration of the video’s release, we caught up with Bandi for a track breakdown of the infectious Ain’t Nobody.
Early songwriting process
Ain’t Nobody was created on a day where I went into the studio with Tom Lee and we were meant to work on a completely different project, but were both feeling super creative that day and itching for something new. So we decided to start a song from scratch. I had just done a photoshoot with Reagan Butler which was all very cutesy with bright pinks, purples and blues. So I wanted the song to replicate that shoot and create a bubblegum pop song.
Drawing on diverse sounds
We started off by brainstorming what kind of song we’d like to make. We wanted to make a song inspired by my Brazilian roots using the afrobeat/samba style drum patterns and mixing that with my signature sound. If you listen closely to the beginning of the song, you’ll hear actual recordings from the streets of Brazil.
The song starts off with a blissful, upbeat guitar melody and an up-tempo South American rhythm. The beat does a one-two on your ears. The captivating, polished vocals hook you in and you can’t help but fall in love with Bandi’s cute naivety and bright bold character. This song has a strong melodic sense and bold visual presence.
Completing the track
It all happened pretty fast because Tom and I were on a roll and our creative juices were flowing. He created the beat while I wrote, we recorded that same day, then met up a couple more times to refine the song. It was one of those songs that just worked so perfectly and happened so fast because we were so inspired.
The track’s meaning and impact
Something I learned from the whole process of this song is to listen to your body and what mood you are in. If you’re feeling creative and wanting to start something from scratch, even though you have a million other songs to work on, do it. Take those chances cause that’s when the best music is created.
Aint Nobody is about how it sometimes takes a little refresher to realise what you have in relationships. Often the things that made you fall in love with someone become so normalised or expected with your day-to-day life routine and are taken for granted. All it takes is a little refresher, which could be some quality time or a moment to reflect to re-ignite your love.
Ain’t Nobody music video
The music video for Ain’t Nobody is set to release Thursday, Nov 3rd. I had this idea of having my dream house built out of Lego, which again plays on the theme of playful, bubblegum colours. I wanted to be shrunk into the house and be shown living out the ‘American Dream’. I collaborated with world-renowned Lego Master, Brandon Wike, who built an entire ‘Bandi World’ out of thousands of digital lego pieces.
The level of detail in this music video is incredible, from the intricate staircase, to all the kitchen utensils you could think of. Everything, literally everything is built from Lego. I worked alongside Videographer Tom Grut, VFX artist Jacob Van Pelt and Lego Master Brandon Wike to achieve this concept. A detailed storyboard was planned so that on film day they could map out exactly where Lego pieces would be and have props ready for any furniture or items that would be interacted with.
The actual set itself had barely anything in it. After filming the full music video on green screen and having the full 3D Lego world built out, it was then composited into what is now the official Ain’t Nobody music video. The video touches on the American Dream – a house, a car, a family. There is no apparent deep connection between the actors. It portrays the day-to-day happenings in a typical relationship, two people together 24/7, but noticing and appreciating the little things they do and sharing small gestures of love.
Stream Bandi’s Ain’t Nobody via Spotify below, and watch the music video here.
