The striking Dubai desert locations for the new music video featuring Russian superstar singer and model Zivert and Ukrainian pop star Max Barskih are proving to be a massive draw, with the YouTube video for the song Bestseller attracting more than 16 million views since its launch on March 18.
Dubai-based a.k.a. Media shot the four-minute film over two weeks, taking a 60-strong crew to the Al Qudra desert to shoot the video in just two days. Directed by Russian filmmaker/producer Alan Badoev, the song – written by Zivert and Barskih - aims to “explore what it means to digitise our emotions, exchanging real human interaction and contact for likes and hits – in a euphoric, catchy, cyberpunk-themed video.”
a.k.a. Media founder and CEO, Yasser Obeid, said:"This was a complex project, involving a lot of people and a lot of technical issues. Shooting a music video is very different than shooting any other type of film. One reason is that your imagination can have no limits – as long as it looks cool and cinematic."
The company had to obtain the right permissions to utilise pyrotechnics and mirrors in the unspoilt desert. Yasser Obeid added:”So people flying (the artists were rigged on heights of 5-6 meters at some point), exploding mirrors, surfing on a futuristic surfboard across the desert, laser beams and lighting drones in the desert seem almost normal!"
Zivert - Moscow-born 30-year-old Julia Sievert– released her first single, Chuck, in 2017, and went on to achieve international fame in 2018 with her single Life. Max Barskih rose to fame in the Ukraine in 2008 as a participant in the country’s talent show Star Factory 2 and has gone to release six studio albums.
