Released on August 4th (Wed) and boasting over 1.5 million in sales, Kenshi Yonezu’s album STRAY SHEEP has certainly proved to be an album to define 2020. The music video to the last song on the album, “Canary” was just released on YouTube.
Directing the music video “Canary” is the world renowned film director Hirokazu Koreeda, known for films such as Nobody Knows, Like Father Like Son, and Our Little Sister as well as Shoplifters for which he won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. “Canary” is Koreeda’s first music video in 4 years and is the first time he has worked with Yonezu.
The last song from STRAY SHEEP, an album recorded during the times of the coronavirus when our daily lives were turned upside down, “Canary” gently validates those of us living in the present. Koreeda took Yonezu’s outlook and carefully translated his thoughts and ideas into film. The cast includes Aju Makita, an actress that has ties to many Koreeda films (Our Little Sister, The Third Murder, Shoplifters) and dancer and actor Min Tanaka. The video is a visual collage seen through the eyes of 3 couples from different places in time, an impressive work akin to a short film. It is a video worth viewing at the end of a tumultuous year, created by two of the best artists in their respective fields.
Kenshi Yonezu will be donating part of the proceeds from the album STRAY SHEEP through his Canary Fund to those facing economic hardship due to Covid-19.
“Canary” Music Video
【Director】 Hirokazu Koreeda（Shoplifters, Nobody Knows and many others）
【Casts】 Aju Makita Yasushi Fuchigami Cocoro Asami Kairi Motomura Akiko Kurano Min Tanaka
【Music】 Kenshi Yonezu 「Canary」
