Growing up in Milwaukee, WI, music was always a core part of Michael Fairman’s identity. He began his career as a young adult in Chicago, before moving to Los Angeles and then New York and then returned to Los Angeles, where his career has blossomed. Now, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Fairman has released the emotional and important music video for his song “Other Side.”
A skeletal crew consisting of a single lighting tech, single cameraman and Michael himself, put together the music video which touches on a breadth of topics from the call to stomp out systemic racism, domestic violence, LGBTQ equality, and the rights of the disabled. “We are at a critical time,” Fairman contends, “and it was important to me that the video depict these struggles in a way that catches viewer’s attention, yet is empathetic and hopeful in its message.”
In the “Other Side” music video, a homeless man lays on the street with a heartbreaking message that reads, “I used to be you,” while Black Lives Matter protesters march peacefully but assertively and the rainbow flag waves triumphantly. A soldier, injured in battle, is picked up by servicemen and carried to safety while Fairman sings, “It’s a war I can’t lose”.
“Days often seem darkest before the dawn. In my own life, I have overcome tremendous challenges: Childhood bullying, multiple surgeries due to a spinal condition and chronic pain that I still struggle with today, the sudden loss of loved ones, discrimination, and more. I’ve been knocked down many times but through it all, I’ve somehow managed to get back up and fight on.” Fairman shares. It is that exact reason that he chose to include the boxing ring in the music video as the backdrop to the narrative. “I saw it as the perfect analogy for our time.” With it being in a gym that was closed to the public, because of the pandemic, it offered an ideal location to shoot while remaining socially distant, and the setting worked to illustrate the isolation portrayed in the song’s lyrics.”
Fairman co-wrote “Other Side” with producer and engineer, Kyle Mangels, and this marks their third collaboration together. You can watch the music video for “Other Side”, below:
