Sign Your Name: A Peek Into The Music Industry

17:42-minute might seem too short a duration to fully understand the workings of the music industry, but through the fictionalised account of Artist X, whose story is loosely inspired by the artistic struggles of Sananda Maitreya (formerly FKA Terence Trent D’Arby), Sign Your Name by Tab Edwards offers an important study of the behind-the-scenes within the music industry. Authentic, compelling and insightful, the short makes a sincere attempt at trying to decipher what goes into the creative genius of an artist and the price one pays for creative liberty.

Success can be enslaving. His 14-million-selling debut, has not only made Artist X (Xavier Edwards) the rising star in the industry, but also entrapped him in contractual obligations. Omar Long who plays his manager is exacting and pitiless. Played very well by Long, he makes the character subtly terrorising. There’s an unmistakable ruthlessness to his demeanour, a coldness to his approach that makes it evident; that for him, music isn’t artistic, but instead a commercial venture. With his previous album having done well, Artist X is keen to experiment; explore new avenues in terms of his creativity. But, little does he know that the strings of his career and voice lie in the hands of commercial bigwigs and men in suits who micromanage the commerce behind the numbers.

Xavier Edwards who plays Artist X is soft, a vulnerable soul whose creative expression flows effortlessly not only through his voice, but also temperament. He is free-flowing, experimental and eager to evolve–traits which Edwards manages to capture with sincerity. But, it’s Jordan Webber, who plays Cupcake, a fellow artist and his love interest, who brings a pivotal point between him and his manager. With a wonderful screen presence, she quickly becomes a force to reckon with. When Omar begins to hound Artist X, not only to alter his creative ambitions but also from flaunting his love in public, for the sake of his image; the essence of what it takes to maintain the star vehicle begins to take form, albeit only in the music industry.

Sign Your Name is very insightful and interesting, especially for those clueless about the workings of the music industry and deeply fascinated by it. When Artist X emphatically argues about the difference between pop and rock, and the need for better creative license, you begin to understand the pressures one must withstand to simply find their voice, let alone use it. Saint Martin & Tab Edward’s music lends the film its necessary substance, one that communicates even without the dialogues and Alvin Nyemah’s cinematography captures the stifling world that makes up Artist X’s vision. Writer-director Tab Edwards certainly knows the alleyways of this industry, and so little does it take for the audience too, to understand what being an artist entails.

A fascinating take on the music industry, Sign Your Name offers a glimpse into an artist’s soul and perhaps a better understanding of the countless other artists whose work we might have loved and appreciated, but seldom understood.

Watch Sign Your Name Short Film Trailer