OVO artist Roy Woods and his team took a unique approach to bringing his newest nine-track EP Dark Nights to life. Instead of going the traditional route, they created a 20-minute short film that visually tells the story behind each song and explores the project’s major themes, from heartbreak to betrayal.

Watch the full short film here

What makes this short film so effective is how seamlessly the tracklist flows, almost like telling a story from start to finish. Each song plays a critical role in understanding Roy’s emotional journey, capturing the moments and feelings that shaped each song. In an interview, Roy Woods described the project best, claiming, "My manager, Banks, and I wanted to show this type of pain in a different way than the traditional music videos.”  

It’s also a smart marketing move. The short film allows fans to connect more deeply with the EP as they are able to associate certain songs with specific scenes, which makes the music much more relatable. Plus, it opens the door for new listeners who may cross paths with this short film, relate to his story, and then go check out the EP, leading to more streams and new potential fans.

Ultimately, this kind of creative direction shows where the music industry is currently heading, which is down a more cinematic and storytelling approach that goes beyond basic music videos. This is great to see because there's so much emotion and stories that can be unpacked from a beat and lyrics.