Write down a list of your favorite singers and chances are one of them has talked about having synesthesia. Blood Orange‘s Dev Hynes, Kanye West, Stevie Wonder, Pharrell Williams, Duke Ellington, Mary J. Blige, Charli XCX – the list goes on – have all talked about experiencing the sensory-blurring phenomenon where you see colors when listening to music. Blood Orange even gave a TED talk on the subject back in May. For all of us non-prodigical musicians unaffected by synesthesia, though, it’s hard to visualise what that entails.
Now Blood Orange is giving us a glimpse of how synesthesia works. Ray-Ban’s “The Order of Never Hide” series caught up with the UK musician in his current habitat, NYC, and shot footage of Hynes talking about seeing colors everywhere with the camera reflecting his senses. “Imagine color streamers just bouncing around,” he says. “It’s hard for me to focus at times because there’s a lot of things floating around, pulling me away. Situations can become very overbearing and overwhelming.”
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Hynes also opened up about success, growing up in Essex, collecting books, and feeling free living in Manhattan. Watch Hynes’ candid video interview, premiering below.
