Lance Acord directs YouTube Music shorts that celebrate diversity, personality and identity

YouTube has released a new campaign for its music streaming service, YouTube Music which debuted in the US back in November, celebrating the diversity and personality of its audience through a series of adverts shot by director and cinematographer Lance Acord.

Each musical vignette explores the identity of an individual, with their lives evocatively soundtracked by the musical stylings the product offers. The series celebrates the faceted dualities of identity, whilst succinct conveying music as a vehicle for expression. ”We want these spots to shine a light on this diversity and individuality, while also showing how anyone can find something to love on YouTube Music,” explains YouTube CEO Danielle Tiedt.

First up is Jaysn’s Theme whose Korean hip-hop swag is humorously shaken only by the disapproving look an elderly lady gives him for putting his feet up on the seats of a train, boosted in confidence enough on his train journey soundtracked by Eung Freestyle to earn the respect of a posse of cool kids he passes by.

Alex’s theme sees a shrinking small-town diner waiter blossom while preparing for a night out, dragging up and hip-popping to Elliphant and Big Freedia’s bombastic Club Now Skunk.

The positivity towards diversity and free expression continues with Afsa’s Theme, which sees a high school student strolling through the corridors spitting out Blackalicious’ breakneck tongue-twisting song Alphabet Aerobics, never missing a beat.

Kristen’s Theme celebrates the emotion music can help you embrace, seeing a woman on a plane crying along to James Blake and Bon Iver’s I Need A Forest Fire.

Tina’s Theme rounds out the videos, seeing a parolee reunited with her family after a day of community service, to the sound of Walshy Fire’s Machet – Naturally.

The communication agency behind the campaign’s planning, Anomaly New York, notably also produced YouTube’s #ProudtoLove spot celebrating the first anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s landmark decision to enshrine same-sex marriage as a fundamental right in the constitution.

While the director, Lance Acord is famous for his beguiling cinematographic work on Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation and Marie Antoinette, as well as in the world of advertising for his Emmy-nominated Nike’s Jogger spot poignantly subverting achievement seeing a last place marathon winner striving to finish, and his direction of Emmy-winning Christmas ad for Apple, Misunderstood.