A refreshing and playful universe away from mainstream music, the new Smile video is a clever and inspirational three minute massage for the soul. The brainchild of Leano, the London-based rapper-poet who brought together fifteen different animators in order to create a video endorsing a muscular antidote to the trials of life in a cheery and catchy melody. Bikya Masr caught up with him to ask him a few questions. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBuRbw-lIqI[/youtube] Bikya Masr:  What was the inspiration behind Smile? Leano: Smile came out of one of those moments. I had only met Ben (my producer) a couple times and I had these lyrics in my book. I wanted initially to write an instruction manual for smiling. I tried to think of a couple creative ways to describe smiling, and then I just went off on one and wrote the chord structure. You can tell because it’s so damn simple! Ben spruced it up a little and I remember how he heard it and loved it and said ‘let’s just record it now'. We did, all the way through the recording Ben was fooling about trying to make me smile and laugh, at one point there is a beeping phone going off as my mum text messaged me. We had no idea how big a song it was going to be and what this tiny seed would grow into. BM: The video has contributions from 15 different animators, did this make it harder to put together as a finished piece? Leano: About a year ago, someone said to me ‘you should make an animated video'. I was slightly annoyed thinking about it because animation is an expensive, time-consuming process. Especially stop motion, which requires so much work and so much patience. So I woke up a day later thinking of ways I could get animators to just do a short piece. I asked people for advice but most said ‘You'll never be able to find animators for taking it on for no money.' But all people should know that there are millions of people on YouTube, surely if you are determined enough you can find what you need. So I started searching, watching every animation I could, learning about the industry and gaining friends along the way. Some were rude, saying I just wanted free work but most were amazing once they had heard the song. I learned about formatting on the job and I got animations from here to California … I enjoyed the buzz of receiving the animations and I would harass them till it arrived. It was not easy but seeing the DVDs in my letterbox made me enthusiastic to finish the job. BM: How did you select the animators and where are they from? Leano: I checked the animations through YouTube and usually contacted them through it. I made friends in California, Holland, Portland US, Canada, Hull, Manchester, London, the list goes on. There's actually one animator who I haven't even asked! But YouTube has allowed me to interact with these people and converse with them…. to me it was rather irrelevant where they came from, only that their work was good. The artists were amazing to trust me and I hope I repaid them with the result. BM: I liked the references to happiness placebos such as facelifts and drugs- were these deliberate attempts to subvert their roles in society? Leano: Yes, I guess it was up to an extent. I think the facelift image was a strong visual… I always think of the joker when I do that lyric. I think I also liked the idea of someone dealing smiles on the corner, I like the concept of people telling jokes in circles… it’s like SMILING is still a free high and I love that about it. People need to Smile more! BM: My favorite line is the first one, “Forget the screw face, here's a new face; tie the corners of your lips to your ears with a shoelaceâ€, do you have a favorite? Leano: Everyone likes that line! I love that one too. But my favourite is ‘let the windows of your soul stand ajar.' I just have an image when I rap it of those French style windows on my chest. When I’m going on stage I imagine opening my whole chest up and a huge fire blazing there. It's a little random but I love that energy that lives inside. Smiling cultivates it for sure. BM: With your references to survival, internationalism and unity, do you think you bring a social message to communities? If so, can you expand on that message? Leano: The song is light-hearted but at the same time the aim is powerful. I wanted to make people smile across every community. And I love playing this song live because u can see the results. If people aren’t smiling I’m not doing a good enough job. I believe strongly in ‘a world without borders' and maybe in some way I hope I break down some barriers. Whatever color or creed, whatever class or religion, everybody smiles… it’s like God's freebee! I hope that it makes people grin in their darkest times and I hope it makes people realize that anything is possible with a Smile. BM: Finally, do you have another project lined up? What is next for The Leano? Leano: I'm just finishing a completely different kind of video which will be released with the new EP in April. This ‘connected – EP' is really my best work so far and Ben and I are very proud. We are set to be touring this summer, bringing a smile to the most dingy and dark venues of the UK, so look out for the show. Also, off the back of this video I am currently playing another ride into the world of animation but who knows how long that project will last. BM You can purchase The Leano’s album here. All proceeds go to help displaced Sri Lankan children (click for more information).
