What was once a fan video category that gained in popularity with the advent of YouTube, is now endorsed widely by big names such as Britney Spears (Criminal) and Rihanna (Diamond), who both released their latest singles as a lyric video.
Fans like to sing along to the lyrics of a song. Often they would be searching for the lyrics online, however with a lyric video, they can actually get the words as they were intended, no misinterpretation or wrong words.
In a time when artists are forced to release a video for every single they record, lyric videos provide a cost effective option to lower the production costs and get more than one single out on the web to spread.
In fact some of the biggest hit singles of 2012 were released as a lyric video. Fans love them and so do the artists. They have now started using lyric videos as a PR stunt to promote an upcoming album even before they actually shoot the original video. Some artists are even releasing two videos for the same single, one a proper music video and the other, a lyric video.
In spite of a sudden surge in the number of lyric videos produced, and people arguing about how creative a lyric video can be, the fact remains that lyric based videos are incidentally some of the most memorable videos out there. For instance, the title tracks of many a popular movies and TV series are lyric based. Remember these? Life of Brian, Catch Me If You Can, Thank You For Smoking...
When it comes to lyric videos, our very own Mr Bond isn’t far behind either. All of 007’s movies have a title sequence that is made iconic by the release of a music video. The latest release ‘Skyfall’ however, had a lyric music video to its credit.
Videos with lyrics have a certain hypnotic effect on the listener, more engaging than a normal song, and if done properly, can really strike a chord with the audience. In no means are they a lesser feat! Take for example Epik’s very own music video director Lorraine Patterson’s creation.
It does grab your attention just by the look and feel of it. Listen to it once and then turn off your sound and watch it play - I am pretty sure you’d be humming in to the tune with the words on screen.
A lyric video could be done at home. You need to have the necessary software – for example Windows Movie Maker or iMovie- and of course you need the skills! However, if you are an artist who wants to get a professional music video, the best option is to contact a music video production company like Epik.
Shubhit S., Epik Music Videos
29/01/2013