Song cover illustration: Rihaa

Got a chance to illustrate a musician's words into visuals

The song’s core essence is reflective of the singer’s journey on dealing with a separation, begging for his mind to be freed of the memories they shared together.

Clearly, written in the words of someone still in love, the song insinuates that that he is doing this against his will. That these memories are actually desirable to him. So, when I imagined these memories, they were soft, light and fragrant. My go to imagery to depict letting go of these sweet memories became a hand loosening its grip on some fresh, lively flowers and them falling to the ground as a result.

Choosing these flowers to be small ones was intentional, because most memories that keep lovers intact are the ones created during their small, everyday moments. It’s those memories that the listeners imagine the protagonist to be struggling with. And because it’s a struggle, even though the protagonist is letting the flowers in his hands go, there are plenty more falling all around him – depicting all the memories that keep pouring, despite his best efforts.

Initial concept, sketching and brainstorming. I presented the artist with four options. They chose to go with the second one.

Converted the sketch into something more final. The main work went into living, the “memories“, the flowers and working on the hand to make it look 3-D, as the artist wanted.