Video Premiere: Thando’s ‘Gag Order’ is a powerful tribute to diversity
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08.04.2019

Video Premiere: Thando’s ‘Gag Order’ is a powerful tribute to diversity

Image: Michelle Grace Hunder

The new track is a smooth blend of R&B and modern hip hop.

Ahead of her upcoming EP, Life in Colour, R&B legend Thando has dropped the music video for her latest single, ‘Gag Order’.

‘Gag Order’ is an anthem for anyone feeling disenfranchised. It’s a celebration of diversity, featuring culturally diverse and LGBTQIA-identifying cast members.

“I realised this song is an anthem for disenfranchised folk so I wanted to represent that,” she said.

The diverse cast is underpinned by the lyrics of ‘Gag Order’, which is an ode to the endless plight of people of colour and LGBTQIA people to be accepted by mainstream society. Throughout the clip, there are messages of acceptance such as, “Look at the hue of you and know you are good” and “carry a legacy, not a burden”.

The music clip was filmed at The Toff in Town and is inspired by a picture of Thando sitting with a crew of four other musicians in a booth at the venue. The video’s director Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore became obsessed with the image, and new she had to bring the image to life. “This is the face of Australian music right now,” Dalimore said.

‘Gag Order’ is soulful R&B meets modern hip hop. The song’s smooth melodies match Thando’s dreamy chorus and Françoistunes’ punchy rhymes, finally ending on Thando’s powerful final verse.

Check out the clip for ‘Gag Order’ below: