Although he’s a native New Yorker, ADIV is Hollywood fresh with his modern look, impeccable sense of style, and his innate ability to fill out a film frame with grace and confidence – the camera loves him at every angle. If he hadn’t already made the move to SoCal himself, it would only be a matter of time before a talent scout spotted him and transplanted him there.
ADIV is more than a pretty face however, and he brings elements of his Nigerian heritage to his music and videos, and the sound of that country is evident in his sound. His latest project, ‘Life Could Be Different’, blends avant-R&B a la Frank Ocean, Caribbean rhythms, laid back Southern California music, Afropop, and a ghostly, ethereal sound which defies genre classification.
His single, ‘Blue Gene’, starts out with the beautiful sensitivity of a summer breeze, but a closer listen reveals the pain, regret, and above all, the hopes – sometimes desperate – of a citizen of the world, whose aim is to pour everything that he’s got into his music.
The music video for ‘Blue Gene’, a sun drenched clip shot by Breyonna Holt, portrays ADIV as someone who is able to cross cultures with ease. He wears a West African shirt in one scene, while donning a black cowboy hat in another; the transition is seamless. The video sees ADIV on a ranch with a stable filled with beautiful horses, and like the man himself, the setting could be anywhere, Montana, or Mexico. Along with several beautiful, yet austere, and sometimes quite offbeat looking women (one presents with her hair styled like a birdcage), ADIV stares down the camera with an intensity that expresses his desire to communicate his truth. He may be a man of the world, but his roots are deep and strong, no matter where he goes.
Check out more about ADIV and his music on his Instagram. Watch the video for ‘Blue Gene’ below.
