Premiere: Wesley Joseph Shares Pixar-Inspired Visuals For “Ghostin’”

Walsall-raised, London-based newcomer Wesley Joseph is the one-man band you need to know now. The rapper, singer, songwriter, producer and filmmaker (who was once in a hip-hop crew with Jorja Smith called OG Horse) has brought his lyric-heavy sound to the fore with tracks like “Imaginary Friends” and “Martyr” gaining a lot of traction online. Today, he’s hoping to do the same as he unveils his new pop-soul offering “Ghostin'”—featuring all his own vocals and co-production from Joy Orbison.

Speaking with Complex via email, Joseph said: “‘Ghostin’ is a real melting pot of flavours, and working with Joy O on production created a natural exchange of palettes, blending soul, dance and experimental grooves with a melancholic, nostalgic undertone. The base of the song was produced the first time we met, and the hypnotic dance-like pulse with jazz chords set an off-tone vibe for the lyrics, which kind of wrote themselves on the bus home from the session.”

The track’s animated visuals were created by Pixar’s former technical director, Najeeb Tarazi. “I wanted to narrate a fictional story that worked alongside what I was seeing out of the window that night,” Joseph adds. “We got in touch with LA-based animator Najeeb Tarazi, who has made some great films, I talked him through the idea and he took off instantly and created a beautiful world that subtly blends eeriness and warmth for the song to exist in.”