BERWYN Gets His Past off His Chest for New Track '100,000,000'

Last year saw Trinidad-born, Romford-raised rapper, singer, songwriter and producer BERWYN released his critically acclaimed debut mixtape ‘DEMOTAPE/VEGA’, alongside standalone single ‘Vinyl’ and a sold-out UK tour, his year culminated with an inclusion in the prestigious BBC ‘Sound of’ Poll (and subsequent final placing of number three)

Today he sets out his stall for 2021 with the release of ‘100,000,000’ - a further reminder of why he’s regarded as one of the most exciting new voices in UK music. 

‘100,000,000’ is the latest account of BERWYN’s vividly penned memories documenting the journey he took to get to where he is now, he describes it as ‘very much something I had to get off my chest as I didn’t get a chance to on DEMOTAPE/VEGA”. The new track (which features backing vocals from his sister Chrissy) sees his bruised, understated vocals recount harder times, those spent sleeping in cars and the feeling of ‘very much being away from home... whatever form home takes’. 

'DEMOTAPE/VEGA' was released in September 2020. Inspired by an early life of trials and adversity and fuelled by a diet of toast, weed and insomnia, BERWYN wrote and produced the 10 tracks that made up the tape in 'a shithole flat' in just two weeks; though it distils a lifetime of experiences living on the fringes of London life. It is raw and authentic yet held together with positivity and hope. 

Featuring the singles 'GLORY' and 'TRAP PHONE', 'DEMOTAPE/VEGA' received accolades from the likes of Complex, GRM Daily, The FADER, Pitchfork and HYPEBEAST and radio support from the likes of Radio 1 and 1Xtra. It also saw BERWYN deliver one of the year’s best TV live performances, with a powerful version of 'GLORY' for Later With Jools Holland that caught the attention of Drake, as well as multiple teachers around the country who contacted BERWYN to request song lyrics to analyse in English classes at school. 

Director LOOSE explains more about the project:

Q: Where was it shot?

A: It was shot in a warehouse space in North London 

Q: How many days?

A: One day shoot 

Q: Interesting info on how it was filmed

A: This was quite a technical video, it had a lot of different set ups and props. Most of the video is set in and around the car which is significant because Berwyn was homeless for a time of his life and slept in a similar car. We used props relating to his lyrics which were handed to him to create evolving scenes documenting his reality & dreams. Lots of art department on this shoot which was a key element in it. 

LOOSE, director, Stink Rising "Berwyn is a sick guy who’s really unique. When he walks into the room you can’t miss him, he’s someone that’s always bringing the best energy. With the 1,000,000 video I wanted to help Berwyn tell his story in a way that mixes both sides of his personality, allowing the viewer to understand how special this guy is. I wanted to juxtapose the terrible hardships Berwyn once found himself in, when he was homeless in a car, with his glass half full, with extremely warm and playful vibes. The team worked together to think of ways we could tell the story using playful tricks and fun ideas that don’t feel like they are glossing over or glamourising the realities of his life. In our early conversations Berwyn said he wanted the video to be a bit like a pantomime. You can really hear the folkish story telling influences in all of Berwyn’s music so I loved this reference and ultimately we landed on a very theatrical idea. Every scene only exists to act as an aide for Berwyn to help tell his story further. Berwyn is an incredible writer and the song is lyrically very powerful so it was really important to me that the video exemplifies this. It was a pleasure to be involved."

Q: What camera?

A: Alexa Mini A Cam & Red Kamono B Cam with motion control