You may not have expected to see Yoruba-inspired art in Beyonce’s new video ‘Lemonade’ – but thanks to Nigerian-born artist Laolu Senbajo that’s exactly what’s happened. His-eyecatching designs have also been picked up by Nike who asked him to design an exclusive pair of trainers. But what was it like to work with Beyonce, and what’s the philosophy behind Senbajo’s art?
In a conversation with OkayAfrica, Senbanjo said he was invited by the pop star’s management to decorate her dancers with his signature designs for “Sorry,” a song off of the new album. “It was crazy because I couldn’t say no,” he said. “If Queen B wants you … It was so unreal. I just left everything I was doing.”
Laolu’s body paintings, which he calls the “Sacred Art of the Ori” appear in the fourth chapter of “Lemonade” titled “Apathy,” which features the song “Sorry.”
Vogue called him their “new Instagram obsession,” and ABC News held a special interview with the Brooklyn-based artist.
Below are excerpts from his ABC interview:
How and when did you get involved?
It was December of 2015. Some people from Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé’s company, messaged me on Instagram and emailed me saying that they would love for me to be part of a music video project with Beyoncé in two weeks. Of course, it was top secret, so I could not tell anybody.
What was it like working with Beyoncé and her team?
Beyoncé is the first one in and the last to leave, and her energy is just on another level. She gets everyone working on their A-game, and you just feel motivated to do better than what you think is your best.
The directors and all the other people on the team are just talented, bright and gifted people. They made my job really easy and gave me no constraints on my art. It was an honor. I also got to connect with a lot of other people from the set who also had Nigerian roots or Yoruba roots, and it was beautiful talking with them.
Many people have likened Beyoncé to Oshun, the Yoruba orisha of womanhood. As someone with Yoruba heritage, how do you think she embodies Oshun?
Oshun is supposed to be very beautiful, and I mean just in the sense of beauty alone you can already see that in Beyoncé. She is also very in touch with herself and very much about spirituality, giving, sensuality and power — all characteristics of Oshun.
And there are very different sides of Oshun, like her anger, which you Beyoncé channel in parts of the video like the part when she bursts open the door in her yellow dress and floodwaters come out.