To accompany his latest single “Us in Major“, singer-songwriter JNR Williams has teamed up with renowned filmmaker and journalist Fenn O’Meally to shoot an intimate video capturing the heart and soul of his local community in Hackney.

“When I wrote this EP, I thought a lot about life. Without help, support, enthusiasm, attention and care, can anything really live? Can anything really blossom?” Williams says on the release. “It’s a question I find myself asking on a daily basis as I become more aware of the darker parts of the world. If something withers, it deteriorates gradually usually because it’s just left to fade. I use this terminology to describe relationships with a partner, a friend, family member, community or government. For a relationship to truly grow a foundation of trust and love, then care should always remain at the forefront.”

“When I first heard Junior’s track, I really felt as though he was talking about a community of people. Both his words and his voice are powerful – to me, it went beyond a single relationship, so I wrote the treatment on that premise,” adds O’Meally, whose video and stills from set capture a stunning portrayal of the message of unity and love that Williams wanted to portray.

“Junior really wanted to celebrate black Afro Caribbean culture and his home of Hackney, so that really helped steer the direction of my research. I revisited some of Dennis Morris’ work in Hackney in the 60s, [and] from there I came up with the idea of this visual that presented a series of moving portraits of the black community in east London. It’s definitely one of my favourite pieces to date and I’m honoured to work with Junior; he’s incredibly talented, humble and perfectionist too. All the characteristics to fly.”