Off the back of the release of their third studio album ‘Peace Is The Mission’ mid last year, and Diplo’s double Grammy win for Best Dance/Electronic Album alongside Skrillex as Jack Ü, and as Jack Ü again for Best Dance Recording with ‘Where Are Ü Now’ featuring Justin Bieber – today Major Lazer released the video for ‘Light It Up’, to tie in with the extended edition of ‘Peace Is The Mission’. This version of the single, originally only featuring Jamaican singer Nyla, has been remixed to include Fuse ODG, with the video being shot in his home country of Ghana.

Though at first glance the video may not appear to suit the vibe of the song, director Sam Pilling explains the choice:

“The whole sentiment of this Major Lazer track is about overcoming negativity and sadness, coming together, and rising up in dance to ‘Light It Up’. Because Fuse’s family is from Ghana we thought it would bring a really interesting aesthetic to film the video there. Delving deeper into Ghanaian culture, we found that their traditional funeral ceremonies perfectly exemplify this sense of coming together to rise up against sadness. The whole community joins together, first in mourning the death, then in celebrating the life that was lived. We worked closely with a Ghanaian family and village, meeting the elders and receiving their blessing to film a real funeral ceremony. I found a poem ‘Kae’ [Remember] written in a traditional Ghanaian language—Twe—which felt like the perfect companion to the video as it is about reflecting on sadness but rising up and looking to the future and to new life.”

With this in mind, the track becomes a little more bittersweet and nostalgic, moving past what was originally just another dancey song, and making it more of a celebration of dances past.

The video comes alongside Major Lazer’s announcement of a number of U.S and Europe shows, as well as one in Cuba’s capitol of Havana. An opener to Musicabana, the first international music festival put together by Americans and Cubans in over 30 years, Major Lazer will be the first major American artist to perform in the country since diplomatic ties were restored – many good times ahead.