Do you recycle? Or do you proactively pick up trash from off the ground?
These questions might seem kind of random on a blog about Asian music, but that's because it's time for another music video analysis; this time in Kazakh.
At the beginning of August, Kazakhstani group NINETY ONE released a music video called Bari Biled...and I was blown away.
First of all, the video itself is gorgeous. The transitions between sets, the simplicity, the camera movements, I love it.
But as I got further into the video I realized there was some sort of deeper meaning. My eyes teared up by the end even though I had no idea what they were saying. Thanks to the beauty of closed captions, I watched it again with English subtitles.
The overall message is super clear, even without English: take care of the earth. But once you know what they're actually saying you get a whole other level of emotion.
These are four of my favorite quotes from the lyrics:
"Everyone knows what is needed, everyone knows but does nothing."
The title, Bari Biled, translates to "everyone knows". While everyone knows and complains about the condition of the world, how many of them actually do something about it?
"Listen, Mother Nature is crying. She is our mother and has the right."
Mother Nature is allowed to be sad about how we're treating our home, just like how our own mothers care about how we treat the house we grew up in.
"People have the power to hate but are powerless when it comes to loving."
There's more effort put into hate, negativity, and complaining...and it takes a lot more energy to be full of love and positivity.
"Love resents saying, 'nobody looks for me'."
This could be a response to the previous quote. Since it's easier to hate than to love, love sadly wonders why no one puts effort into it. Personifying the concept of love is a powerful way to hit you in the feels.
Honesty, it's probably better for you to just listen to the song and feel the emotion yourself rather than me tell you about it. I recommend doing what I did; watch it first with no subtitles, and then again with the English. You can also listen to it on Spotify by clicking here.
Kazakh is one of the coolest languages to listen for powerful vocals and intense raps. Don't let the language stop you from listening to a song's amazing musicality or learning about its important message.
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