The notepad: Natasha Ejaz

Natasha Ejaz, musician, actor, vocal coach and artist, jots down the music videos that changed her life, and have been the most influential to her

Stranger in Moscow by Michael Jackson



I think this video was my first experience with someone toying with visually representing the idea of telling multiple incomplete stories for the purpose of enhancing one single theme. In this case, it was the juxtaposition of a deep personal sense of loneliness against the fact that everyone in the world feels the same way.

Glosoli by Sigur Ros



‘Glosoli’ is my favourite example of retelling old tales with contemporary landscapes. The video for ‘Glosoli’ is reminiscent of Peter Pan, The Pied Piper, Hansel and Gretel and many more old children’s tales all in one. Plus, I wish I could fly and this makes me believe I can.

Parabol and Parabola by Tool



If I’m not mistaken, most Tool videos are written by the whole band and directed by Adam Jones (the guitarist). The videos are therefore just as otherworldly as their music and the fact that they can accurately represent themselves not just through a sonic experience, but also visually is very inspiring to me. Also, I think these two videos, back-to-back, play the same role songs, like how a concept album would or scenes in a play would — a cohesive idea told over an arc of a few scenes.

Show Me Love by Laura Mvula



Laura Mvula is both dead and alive in this music video. She is both her past and her present. The devil and the angel. To me the video represents what life after death may be like. I love the fact that someone can explore that theme within what is essentially just a performance video.

Where Are You Now by Skrillex and Diplo featuring Justin Bieber



The making of this video is why I love it. It called upon Justin Bieber fans to draw on frames from the video; these drawings were eventually superimposed onto Bieber’s performance section of the video. It’s a brilliant way of engaging one’s fans into the musician’s journey.

Dang by Mac Miller featuring Anderson Paak



The aesthetics in this video are so beautiful, I can watch it for hours and hours. I love everything about it from the colour grading to the art direction to the story repeating over and over again.