Grammy-nominated British singer Mahalia filmed her newest single, “Whenever you’re ready” entirely on Xiaomi’s creator-focused Mi 11 Series, a real testament to the fact that creativity is available to anyone. Captured on a budget, the production team aptly chose the film-grade yet affordable Mi 11i smartphone, which is known for flagship-rivaling features – namely sporting a powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset and a 108MP triple-camera setup.
The production of Mahalia’s music video from front to end was documented in a behind-the-scenes film that offers an intimate glimpse at Mahalia’s creative process, and a look into just how a smartphone as accessible as Mi 11i was able to pull off visualizing a Grammy Award nominee’s comeback single.
“Shooting an entire music video on a phone sounded like a crazy idea at first, but the moment I got to set I was blown away by the Xiaomi quality and I’m so happy with the outcome!” said Mahalia.
The behind-the-scenes film also kicks off Xiaomi’s new video series called “Focus” that will give a stage to young up-and-coming artists and video creators from all over the world and will focus on their vision and journey within the context of shooting world-class videos on smartphones.
Mahalia’s music video is directed by Alex Motlhabane of the British director duo The Rest, who has previously worked with global stars like A$AP Rocky, Slowthai, Skepta, and others. Pieter Snyman, who has also served as DOP on numerous international projects, took charge of camera work.
