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Music

Meet October London in His Short Film About Love, Music, and Destiny, "Colorblind: Love"

Watch "Colorblind: Love," a short film starring the rising singer, from the minds of Snoop Dogg and Mike Epps.

In music, there's no telling what your big break might look like. For October London the real musician, it came like this: He got a hold of Jazze Pha and sent the legendary producer some tracks. He heard that not only was Jazze Pha interested in his music but someone else was as well.

"The night before Super Bowl 2016, my phone rang, and I heard, 'What's up nephew? This is the big boss Snoop Dogg,'" London remembered over email. Snoop took London under his wing, flying the South Bend, Indiana, artist out to LA record music and eventually suggesting they make a short film.

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In that  film, "Colorblind: Love," premiering below, there is also a character named October London who gets an unexpected break, also involving a music executive played by Snoop Dogg. October London, the character, is a Louisiana singer and songwriter who is released from prison and gets a job washing dishes at his girlfriend's uncle's jazz joint (not to namedrop on London's behalf, but the uncle, incidentally, is played by Mike Epps). When the regular singer storms out, London volunteers to go onstage in full dishwasher regalia, and you might be able to guess what happens next. To revisit a famous saying, in music, there's no telling what your big break might look like.

"I've never had anyone yell at me in the crowd and say… 'Hey you gonna sing or what?'" London said of the scene where he steps onstage in a dirty apron. He added that the two experiences in the plot did resonate with him personally, though: He used to be a dishwasher at Steak 'n Shake, and he has dealt with shady managers in the past. But for the most part, "Colorblind: Love" was all acting—also a new experience, which came out of Snoop's idea.

"He had a vision and I executed it," London wrote. "Filming it was a bit unreal because you only see the food trucks, lights, cameras, crew and all that from a different perspective. I never knew I was going to be the one to make something like this and have all these sources around me."

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The film is accompanied by London's music, and both find him exploring bluesy, honeyed soul with a modern, pan-genre twist. "The project is about being grounded in love. It's about being in love and or finding it," London explained. "It's about being vulnerable and misguided but willing to take the journey to understand." He added, reflecting on music as a whole. "The purpose of music to me is to live the way you want to write it. I know that sounds crazy or weird, but think about it. YOU are the narrator of your own story. YOU decide how it starts and finishes. It's a way to get away or trap yourself in emotion, time, or a simple feeling."

Watching "Colorblind: Love," you get a good sense of the way that music might evoke a specific place or time, as the film richly portrays the warm, sensual world of the South. True to Uncle Snoop's aesthetic, it's about as smooth of an introduction as you could get to October London's smooth-as-hell voice. And that voice is one you're probably going to be hearing more from soon.

"This year you will get more music from me than any other artist on this planet will put out," London quipped. "I guarantee that. It's not just the Crown Royal talking." Watch "Colorblind: Love" below:

Follow Kyle Kramer on Twitter.