Photo by Tyler Borchardt
Somali-Canadian singer-songwriter and artist IDMAN has announced their new EP Risk, coming July 14th on Arista Records. The news arrives alongside the third single, “Still”, a tender and emotional offering equipped with an intimate video directed by City James (Big Sean, Lucky Daye, Smino, Ant Clemons, etc). IDMAN’s vocals, both lush and heart-wrenching, complement the captivating visual as a series of intimate and vulnerable shots of IDMAN bring their storytelling to life — featuring a serendipitous and fortunate moment that presented itself the day of the shoot. Resulting in a bravely transparent image of the rising artist, a reflection that transcends identity, beauty, and growth.
Speaking on “Still”, IDMAN shares, “‘Still’ is the song I think would hook me if I wasn’t me. I think of it as my undignified heartbreak song because with it I decided to put down my toxic, ‘too cool to care’ facade and opted to sit in the genuine pain of what I was still very much moving through in a real and deep way…no matter who’s looking.” Expanding on the creative direction for the visual, they add, “The video much like a lot of the other parts of working on this project allowed me the opportunity to dream bigger and better. In prep for the video, we always wanted to cast a non-cis-het man lead and then at some point switched it back to being my trainer Jerome, a 6’3” former NFL player. The morning of the shoot an emergent opportunity to switch out the lead in service of the art (and my heart) came up, and we took it. I don’t think I knew if it would actually come out that first take and if you’re reading this right now it’s probably too late 🤍 ”
“Still” follows their first offering of 2023 “Hate” and arrives on the heels of a string of US dates in support of Sampa The Great and a special Australian show in support of Ella Mai. The track serves as the third single off their forthcoming debut EP Risk and continues in the thematic exploration of the evolution of heartbreak and redemption. Risk intertwines IDMAN’s infectious pop spirit and distinctive storytelling, opinions, and authentic truths that have set them apart from their peers.
“I’m so excited to tell this story in full, contextualized and all. I’m honored to get to have this body of work be my introduction to folks – it all happened in the exact right way and I’m better for it and it’s truer than I’d imagined, I’m figuring out if all the risks I’ve been taking have been worth it and I don’t feel ashamed about sharing what I’ve found for better or worse.”
A genuine creative in every sense of the word, IDMAN invites listeners in and encourages them to reflect, discover, and be empowered to live their authentic lives. The emerging talent continues to make waves as they bare their soul with intricate storytelling, pensive lyricism, cinematic visuals, and press praise from the likes of COMPLEX, The FADER, PAPER, V Magazine, and more — proving they’re an artist to watch. Continuing to carve their lane with intention and vision, IDMAN foregoes genre, gender, and borders as they refuse to be confined.
“Still” is a continuation of the mesmerizing journey for the burgeoning artist, stay tuned for more from IDMAN coming soon and stream/watch “Still”.
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