Taiwanese singer Putad has dropped a new single, titled “Pinagsanga.” The word means “nature” in the language of the singer’s Amis people. The dreamlike music video was shot entirely in Taitung, and it explores the power of nature and family. Reporter Stephany Yang speaks to the singer and her production team about the new song.
The music video begins with a spoken word piece by four generations of Amis women.
The next scene shows a woman floating on water. Putad, the Amis singer, said she drew inspiration from a near-death experience in the ocean 10 years ago. This is her new single “Pinagsanga.” Putad hopes that when people watch the music video, they’ll come to see the power of nature and family.
Putad
Singer
The importance of this song is to tell the people how to respect the nature because I almost died because I didn''t respect the ocean. The ocean just threw me out into the waves. Since then I know how to respect the ocean. I have to see how the current goes and we have to find the channel and paddle out. Now I surf everyday but everytime I surf I know how to respect the ocean.
The song and music video were produced by Small Island Big Song. Small Island Big Song was founded by Taiwanese producer BaoBao Chen and Australian music producer and filmmaker Tim Cole in 2015. The two have recorded and filmed over a hundred musicians across 16 island nations across the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Baobao Chen
Small Island Big Song’s cofounder
The reason we started Small Island Big Song was to connect Taiwanese indigenous people with the Austronesian diaspora because there''s more and more evidence showing that Taiwan is actually the original region place of the Austronesian diaspora which spread across the Pacific and Indian oceans. This song actually brings together seven different island nations from Taiwan indigenous to Madagascar, Rapa Nui Easter Island, New Zealand. Using this collaboration of music and songs is a pathway to speak about something they''re concerned about.
Tim Cole
Small Island Big Song’s cofounder
The start is very powerful where four generations of Putad''s own family, grandmother, her mother, herself, and her daughter. The Amis is a matriarchal society. So they''re saying that we carry the story of our land through the generations. The song is about the power of nature. She is singing to respect the power and law of nature. That it is greater than us.
The director, Hung Shih-ting, said that the production took five months to brainstorm and shoot. Shooting amid pandemic was a challenge.
Hung Shih-ting
Director
Shooting underwater is already very difficult. Shooting underwater during COVID time was extremely challenging, but we hope the energy that we learn from nature can come into the story. The key point to take away we hope for the audience is the love for nature and the love for mother. It could apply to our mother, ourselves, the river, or just the earth. We hope that through this music video, through Putad''s song, and her voices, the way she sings it that we can translate energy into the music video and send that love of nature to the world especially during the pandemic .Sometimes we say as hard as it is but the nature gets to breathe a bit. I think it''s very meaningful at this time to have a production like this during this time. It''s very therapeutic.
Baobao and Tim say they’re planning international tours. In January next year, they will go on a tour in America and Europe for 100 days. They hope to continue to tell inspiring stories of people across the Pacific and Indian oceans.