TIM LYRE:

BEHIND THE SCENES

by Mike Romero

Photo and Video by Chris Saunders // Behind-the-Scenes Photos by Abdallah Abdulrahman

Yesterday, Nigerian artist Tim Lyre dropped the official music video for his recently released single "Rocketship." Director Chris Saunders lent his signature vision to the project. Previously, Saunders has directed for Rudimental, Little Dragon and The Black Keys.

The video for "Rocketship" implements AI generated visuals to create a surrealist landscape. It aims to examine escapism as both a refuge from daily life and a path to deeper-self discovery. The creation of the music video was a highly collaborative effort between Tim and Saunders. “The concept arose from our shared vision to depict the surreal plane of the mind—a boundless space of introspection and imagination," Saunders said. "By integrating artificial intelligence as one of our collaborators, we ventured into a unique creative realm, where self-reflection and imaginative musings were transformed into striking, genre-bending visuals. The video blurs the line between reality and surrealism, capturing the interplay of raw emotion and abstract interpretation to offer a glimpse into the infinite possibilities of the mind.”

Eager to get aquainted with the mind of Tim Lyre, we picked his brain about the new music video. See what he had to say while experiencing exclusive behind the scenes images from the set of the music video. 

"Rocketship" is the lead single from your upcoming record SPIRAL. The album focuses on themes of Perseverance, Loss, Heartbreak, Love, Acceptance, and Joy. What life circumstances prompted you to focus an album on these themes?

I find in most cases, experience is the catalyst for me. The ideas are born of my personal relationships (failed and existing ones), my journey of self discovery, hopes and dreams (existing and failed ones), and also my immediate environment which is for the most part Lagos, Nigeria – which heavily informs my process. More often than not, I find the journey to be emotionally charged. So in writing an album like this, I’m able to work through these feelings and seemingly create something beautiful out of what feels like chaos.

How did writing about these themes help you in vour personal life? How have these songs helped you to relate to others around you?

The writing process is therapeutic for me – as I imagine it is for most artists. It’s the purest way for me to express exactly how it feels to have these experiences. In some instances, it’s a moment of release and it allows me to let go of feelings which may be negative; and in other instances, the process presents as an opportunity to capture a positive feeling in a meaningful and lasting way. I think as people we all experience the same emotions. Though circumstances may differ, I think we all feel things the same way. 

"The extent to which we have these feelings might be relative to the individual but the feeling is the same. It’s easier to understand and relate to a person if you know how they feel."

What made you choose "Rocketship" as the lead single?

The song itself explores the feeling of loneliness and a yearning for escape from that lonely place. I think it’s symbolic of where I am as a person and as an artist. As it represents a moment in which I am freeing myself of this burdensome feeling, I think it’s the best way to introduce people to the world of this album. The spiral doesn’t have to be a descent into chaos. It’s a journey of the self towards balance, and so there are some bad parts but there are good parts, too. This song embodies that.

There are some powerful images in the "Rocketship" music video. Was the art direction similar to what you had felt in your heart or pictured in your mind? Is there something from the music video that really speaks to you on an emotional level?

I had an idea of how to bring this album to life visually in the form of a music video series, but I have to give credit to the director, Chris Saunders, who was immensely helpful in bringing the bigger picture to life. "Rocketship" serves as the first part of this series. With this video specifically, the aim was to maintain the introspective themes of the album whilst telling the story in a visually immersive way that transports the viewer. The video seamlessly portrays that feeling of loneliness within the song and the use of AI art and VFX really helps drive home the feeling of escapism. I’m eager to share this project with the world and especially with people who have ever felt lonely or depressed.

What was the most challenging behind-the-scenes moment from the music video shoot? How did you and or the crew overcome this?

The most challenging part behind-the-scenes was the fact that we shot the whole 3 part visual series in one day, so it was quite a long shoot. But I think it was easy to overcome that as everyone involved was fully committed to the project. The AI art and VFX team also deserve a lot of credit because a lot of work went into making sure the more surreal elements of the video appear seamless.

"The spiral doesn’t have to be a descent into chaos. It’s a journey of the self towards balance."

Nigeria's Afrobeats, Afro Beat, and Afro-fusion genres have exploded in popularity all over the world in recent years. What about Nigerian music do you think is resonating with people all around the world?

I’ve always believed music is about a feeling at its core and, speaking as a Nigerian, we feel things very strongly and are confident in our opinions most of the time. And I think people are drawn towards us because of that. I also think Nigeria has always been a country filled with talent. Most people just need the opportunity or platform to display it and with the world being so hyper-connected now, the opportunites present themselves more and more every day.

What are some hallmarks of Afro-fusion and how do you incorporate them into your music? Is this a conscious choice, or does it come naturally?

I think the heaviest influence for me is in the way I write. I write a lot in my native language (Yoruba) and also in Pidgin English, which is essentially a form of broken English widely spoken in Nigeria and some parts of west Africa. A lot of my beats are mostly afro-leaning as well, so I incorporate elements of afrobeats, highlife, and afropop in with elements of R&B, soul, and hip-hop (amongst other things) to arrive at my own unique sound. I think it started out earlier in my career as a conscious choice but as time went on, it's become second nature. So yes, I’d say it comes naturally to me at this point.

What do you hope your music contributes to your community? How do you think it will help Nigeria's continued popularity on the world stage?

My aim with music has always been to make people feel better about their lives. I try to write from a personal and honest place because I find it's easier to relate to the listener that way. I also hope to inspire other artists to make music in the same way. As an afro-fusion/alternative artist in Nigeria, I come from a school of artists who make music in a way that is different to the mainstream sound we have in the country, and the aim is to spread that message as far and wide as possible and shine a light on something different coming from this way.


Make sure to follow Tim Lyre on Instagram here. You can watch the music video below.