"emma" Music Video

Yna:

Hi everyone! I’m currently getting ready to release my debut album this year and there’s one particular song that means a lot to me, “Emma”.

“Emma” depicts love through the eyes of a queer lover that was directly inspired by true events. I fell in love with this girl, who didn’t see me the way that I did. Despite a very grand and orchestral production that sounds uplifting, the lyrics encompass the pain of what it’s like to love through my eyes as a queer person. You’re not only met with the fear of rejection when it comes to confessing your love, but also humility, guilt, and shame.

Unlike stereotypical heterosexual relationships, let alone fairytales we grew up reading, a queer type of love to me is more scary. With this song, my wonderful friend, Sophie Chevako, and I, are directing a music video that contrasts the typical heterosexual norms we grew up with and creating a different narrative: girl falls in love with another girl, but the latter has eyes for a guy, so the former succumbs to fantastical ideas of what the love could be if it was reciprocated.

As a queer Filipina artist, it is truly an honor to direct and create this story with a fellow queer Filipina creative. However, with grand ideas and a compelling story comes with lots of obstacles especially as two 20-something year olds who wish they had the financial abundance to make this as close to perfect as we can.

Therefore, Sophie and I are here to ask for your help. This is the biggest song yet on my album and I want to do it justice by giving it the cinematic visual it deserves. You would not only be helping Sophie and I cover production costs, but also supporting a bunch of creatives, such as the wonderful filmmaker and my partner, Cee Pham, who is not only one of the stars of the MV, but also our producer on this film, alongside a bunch of all our friends who I am so honored to have on this project!

Sophie:

As cinematographer and co-creator for this project, I am deeply honored to be working with my friend Yna, not only a gifted musician but also a storyteller of beautiful queer stories. My and Yna’s vision is one that I want to materialize with the utmost of care and give it the grandness that it deserves! In a world that lacks representation in queer love stories, especially told through the lens of Filipina artists, we need songs like these and artists like Yna, to share their honest stories, and as a filmmaker, I am so excited to be a part of that voice.

Any support is appreciated, and know that your donations will help to shed light on important perspectives in media, music, and film. Our budget will allow us to create unique and dreamlike visuals through resources like locations, set and costume design, and lighting and camera equipment that will make this a beautiful piece.