Instagram is increasingly where people go to upload and share art. From the plethora of alternative beauty accounts, to mind-bending collages featuring diamond chips and Rihanna crying gold glitter, a new generation of artists is using the small screen to think big — creating often challenging works that reach millions of users in the process. Now, never one to be outdone, Jaden Smith is getting in on the act — releasing SYRE: The Electric Album exclusively on the ‘gram.
Released on his 20th birthday, the album is an electronic reworking of five tracks from Smith’s 2017 release SYRE, including Icon, Lost Boy, Ninety, Fallen and B. Each song is accompanied by surreal footage: Jaden crooning in an auto-tuned, mechanical voice while levitating on a floating sports car. Jaden strumming an electric guitar in front of a pinky-purple melting sunset. Jaden standing over rocky mountains and running through a deserted wild west town.
Of course, this is not the first time musicians have used Instagram as a platform to publish new material, with FKA Twigs releasing her AVANTGarden magazine on the site last year. If this keeps going, it looks like our days of making up numerous email addresses for Tidal free trials will be coming to an end.