There’s nothing quite as exquisite or heart-aching as missing the one that you’re pining for; there’s been endless poems, song, books, letters and other written forms of adoration created from this scenario. It’s as though our emotions and thoughts become equal parts sharpened and hazy at the same time. This is certainly the impression we have from Luis Villanueva’s dazzling new electro-pop single ‘Wish U Were Here’.

While this track is undeniably in the realm of electronica and bedroom-pop, Villanueva’s style takes it to a place of high artistry with compelling samples that set the scene of an individual interacting with the real world (such as the camera clicks and TV static), but they’re not able to escape their mind. We’re given insight into a stream-of-consciousness through the emotive lyrics performed both by Jason Dhakal’s soft and soulful voice and the swooning R&B flows of Jess Connelly.

The Filipino film student at Columbia University has also put his growing skills to use to direct the music video for the single. With this, he seeks to shine a light on Filipino creativity, by fusing images from both New York and Manilla in the video. If ‘Wish U Were Here’ is anything to go by, then The Philippines’ emerging arts scene is a serious contender on the world stage.

“The goal of this project is to expose the world to Filipino artistry – we wanted to show this symbolically by shooting in 5 different countries. By including scenes shot in Manila and New York, we’re juxtaposing Filipino art with an already established cultural hub in Tribeca.”

Follow Luis Villanueva on Instagram.