World first tourism ad filmed atop Sydney icon
A new advertisement from Tourism NSW has gone to new heights, featuring the first artist to film a music video on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Australian indie musician Azure Ryder recorded her own rendition of Nina Simone’s jazzy 1965 hit, Feeling Good, which is the soundtrack for the NSW government’s latest tourism campaign, Feeling New.
The ad sees Ryder traverse the Megalong Valley and Lincoln’s Rock in the Blue Mountains, before appearing at Mary’s Underground in The Rocks.
The climax of both the ad and Ryder’s music video sees the artist performing on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s Southern Pylon.
Azure Ryder took part in a world-first, filming part of her new music video atop one of the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Image: Azure Ryder (YouTube)
Stuart Ayres, who is both the Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade and the Minister for Tourism and Sport, said the clip truly showed off the diverse landscapes of NSW.
“I am delighted with the music video for the soundtrack behind our Feel New campaign. It captures all the things I love about our state,” Mr Ayres said in a statement.
“We are incredibly blessed in NSW to have some of the most spectacular filming backdrops in the world and to have one of our brightest talents in Azure Ryder pay tribute to her home city and state this way highlights what incredible places Sydney and NSW are to live and visit.”
Azure Ryder collaborated with Tourism NSW to go to new heights, capturing this stunning view from Lincoln’s Rock in the NSW Blue Mountains. Image: Azure Ryder (YouTube)
Ryder said the experience filming the clip for Feeling Good was also quite special for her, capturing both the energy of her home state and the lyrics of the classic tune.
“The experience you will see through my music video is one that I grew up my entire life believing in,” Ryder said. “The importance of what our surroundings can teach us, show us how to feel, and ultimately teach us how to be human.
“The soul that Nina embodies and speaks of in Feeling Good is the soul that is all around us if we just step out, open our eyes, and look up to the beauty and the story written along mountaintops and city pavements.
“We are so lucky to have such magic on our doorstep.”
You can watch the new ‘Feeling New’ ad from Tourism NSW below.
To see Ryder’s full music video, head here.
Image: Oliver Beggs & Reece McMillan (Tourism NSW)