EKKSTACY, the alternative rising artist out of Vancouver, has shared his first new song of the year, “problems,” featuring Trippie Redd.
Rather than leaning into the rowdy moments that made his debut album, misery, so catchy, EKKSTACY embraces a more reflective headspace. The result is equally powerful, though, as its accompanying music video shows how excess leads to emptiness. In the visual, EKKSTACY is surrounded by dancers inside a mansion but utterly removed from it all.
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“This song was fun to make. It happened between like 3 and 6 a.m. in Miami right before I had to head to the airport,” EKKSTACY says. “Trippie and I wrote and recorded the lyrics over the music that my main collaborator Mangetsu made back in Germany. We both came up listening to Trip, so I’m happy we both get to say we have a song with him now.”
Speaking on the visual, director Gilbert Trejo adds, “For this video, Stacy and I wanted to play with the idea of success and happiness, how one doesn’t always come with the other. What we want vs. what we get, what’s expected of us vs. who we are, etc. Once we knew what we wanted, it was fun as hell to come up with the sunny, happy, playful imagery for a song that would fit on a playlist with Between the Bars or No Name #1.”
See the video for “problems” below.