Deus Me Abençoe (Ay Le Le)
Ay Le Le is a song about roots, family and gratitude, by artist Leo MG and Jesse Mateus, where the two got together to try something new they could dance to and celebrate with their loved ones. I was brought on to make the lyrics dance, and hope you will too. Enjoy (it's real fast!)
Best enjoyed at full volume 🔊
GIF + Stills Dump (～￣(OO)￣)ブ
Why?
As a fellow African, raised in Europe, the song felt like an anthem for people like me, so - while I had never made a lyric video before - I agreed to give this a shot.
When I first moved to the UK, I befriended several people. Though, one of them never ceased to impress me with his energy, humour and commitment to family, years later he's pursuing his passion for music as Leo MG, while I tinker with design and animation ideas.
For years we wanted to collaborate, never quite finding the time, so in the summer of 2025 Leo shared Ay Le Le w/ me, and my shoulders couldn't resist dancing.
For years we wanted to collaborate, never quite finding the time, so in the summer of 2025 Leo shared Ay Le Le w/ me, and my shoulders couldn't resist dancing.
What & How?
I used this as an opportunity to experiment with some simple kinetic type ideas, whilst conveying the energy and meaning of the lyrics on screen wherever I could. Resulting in a 4+ minute(!) lyric video for the song, featuring the artists behind the song and their roots.
Motion References
Often partial to clean and bold type composition, early on I felt like this visual direction would’ve been particularly apt for this song, as not only was it very fast paced, but it could’ve given the words the impact the artist intended.
Several motion and static references were collated into a moodboard shared with Leo MG on GSlides, where we annotated our thoughts, likes and dislikes, so we’d be on the same page on the visual approach:
References above include Apple’s Don't Blink, Murillo, Xonda, Google Labs promo, Rap Caviar & more
Design Explorations & Tests
Prior to animating, I needed to explore type options and how I’d frame some of the text on screen in a bold and dynamic way, so armed with the above references, and the song on repeat I explored a handful of type compositions in black & white, to stay focused on design.
A Pop of Colour
Black & white sure can look slick, but this was about colourful roots after all, so I needed to give it all a splash of colour, with some intentionality.
To pay homage to the countries the artist grew up in, colours from the various countries he lived in were applied to the intro and outro of the video, while colours he personally associated with each language spoken were reserved for the meaty lyric section:
Feedback
Ever animate something for too long you forget to find out if it actually feels right?
To avoid that, earlier versions of the lyric video were shared with some of my wonderful colleagues at Buff and some animation buddies, resulting in a handful of notes I later tried addressing as much as possible.
To avoid that, earlier versions of the lyric video were shared with some of my wonderful colleagues at Buff and some animation buddies, resulting in a handful of notes I later tried addressing as much as possible.
A combo of online and real-world feedback from some creative friends
Queue the Imagery
Using imagery (from studio recordings) to fill instrumental parts of the track came up as an early idea ... but turns out artists don’t record themselves making music all that much, so we eventually pivoted to using imagery of Leo MG’s early childhood and beloved family, which ultimately added an extra layer of authenticity to the whole thing.
I found it quite challenging making the different photos and (portrait!) clips work with this type-heavy style, as I needed the imagery to feel cohesive with the meaty kinetic type. After hunting for several references, namely CLAUS’ elegant yet bold compositions for Feud’s FX series, I felt drawn to the close-up shots of the type, overlaid onto the imagery and the grainy, retro feel, which formed the basis of a moodboard used to explore a few extra designs:
References above include IFC Pitch, 50 & Forever, CHAMP's Masterclass, TCM and more. Below are explorations from the refs ⤵️
Note: With consent from the artist, AI Upscaling tools were used to upscale some low-res photos.
Some BTS
Over the course of a few months, in-between work and life, I tried progressing the video as best as I could, verse by verse, version after version, until we just had to wrap it up - before losing my sanity. Below is a dump of behind the scenes, loose ends and lil neat/frustrating things:
I can’t plan for everything.
In the earlier design stages, partly due to inexperience w/ lyric videos, I was tempted to explore more styleframes, but jumping right into animation, given the amount of work and tight deadline, was the more practical move - the best way for me to decide on the design of each frame, with the music’s timing, was by improvising it on the spot and see if it felt right and move on. No amount of planning would’ve been as efficient.
Credits
Music: Leo MG + Jesse Mateus
Design & Animation: Abraham E. 👋🏾
Feedback: Buff Motion & B.A.P.
Design & Animation: Abraham E. 👋🏾
Feedback: Buff Motion & B.A.P.
