See It First: Bilal Portrays Miracle Worker in ‘Satellites’ Video
One of the most acclaimed soul singers of the new millennium, Philadelphia bred Bilal has collaborated with many of the genre’s greats – Erykah Badu, Common, Jay Z, and Kendrick Lamar, among others. His fifth album, In Another Life, is due out on June 30 on Purpose Music Group/eOne Music.
Yahoo Music is pleased to premiere the video for his first single “Satellites.” In the nearly five-minute short presented by Creative Lion, the singer portrays a modern day miracle worker on a mission to help those in need. When encountering a woman in distress at an ATM, he’s able to trigger the machine to dispense cash. In another scene, he consoles a homeless woman battling a mental illness.
The storyline supports the lyrics about the singer viewing the problems of the world from scope of a satellite in orbit. After “Satellites,” the video includes a snippet of “Lunatic,” an additional song from In Another Life. In the accompanying visual, police officers observing Bilal’s character wandering question and attack him. After being placed in a chokehold by one of the officers, he is left on the ground unconscious.
“I always try to paint pictures with my music…I like telling stories, stories you can see,” Bilal explains in a statement. “With this album, I take a step back. I am moving away from the surrealism in my last album to explore the reality of the time.”
The album available for pre-order on Tuesday, May 19, was produced by Adrian Younge, and features songs with Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., and Kimbra.
Below, see the In Another Life track listing:
“Sirens II”
“Star Now”
“Open up the Door”
“I Really Don’t Care”
“Pleasure Toy ft. Big K.R.I.T.”
“Satellites”
“Lunatic”
“Money Over Lover” ft. Kendrick Lamar
“Love Child”
“Holding It Back” ft. Kimbra
“Spiraling”
“Bury Me Next to You”
