Michael Lanza x Chow Mane – ‘Islands’

With his precise, unerring sense of rhythm, and easy-going swagger, Michael Lanza has built himself up a reputation as a singer that is second to none. He’s best known for his future bass and house music collab with KEPIK, as well as opening for Major Lazer, but he’s also clearly on friendly terms with hip-hop, as evidenced in his single, ‘Lion’, the #23 Billboard Dance chart hit he made with GhostDragon, and Ron Reeser.

Now he takes it one step further, on new single, ‘Islands’, which sees him collaborate with Bay Area rhymer, Chow Mane. Lanza sings the soaring choruses, while the verses are the domain of Mane, whose music has always found its home somewhere in between party-ready rap, and offbeat, left of centre pop. On ‘Islands’, Chow Mane isn’t nearly as incendiary as on his anti-Asian racism recent hit, ‘Go Back To China’, but they’re every bit as witty, personal, and revealing.

In the video which comes with the single, directed by Nanako Fukui, and Yuito Kimura, we see Lanza and Chow Mane as best friends and partners on an adventure in the “Islands”. The pair are both experiencing heartbreak, and we believe in their close relationship from the very first frame. They’re shown as castaways on a beautiful, yet extremely dangerous, island, where they’re lured into the jungle by a gorgeous woman, who’s been animated by the spirit of the sea. As you can probably imagine, there’s a twist in her tail, and by the final verse, we see the pair running for their lives. It’s all good in the end, as the mysterious woman notices that the pair wear the same necklace as her, reminding her painfully of what it’s like to be human. She takes pity on them, ad they wake up on the sand. Was it all a dream? Somewhere in the backs of their minds they aren’t entirely sure, as they recall the mysterious girl who too pity on her and her sacrifice.

Find out more about Michael Lanza and his music from Hitskope, Twitter, and Instagram.

Michael Lanza, Chow Mane - Islands

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com