18-year-old artist Ant Saunders releases the official music video for his viral hit "Yellow Hearts," following his recent signing with Arista Records. Emanating a nostalgic and intimate tone, the video was shot in his hometown of Woodbury Heights in 16mm, and features Saunders and his real-life friends spending time together as they walk around their neighborhood and their usual hangout spot on the train tracks near Ant’s house.

On the day of his high school graduation, Saunders released Yellow Hearts, a laid-back R&B-flavored pop track. He wrote, recorded, and produced the track by himself, designed the artwork using Microsoft Paint, and used TikTok to ask friends to share the track. Two million TikTok videos were created in response. Since then, Yellow Hearts has become a viral sensation - with over 75 million streams, and a spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Saunders’ disarmingly genuine performance on Yellow Hearts translates a universal human emotion through a simple, almost accidental metaphor. Saunders had just experienced the stress and confusion of navigating the early days of a relationship, and a girl that he thought was interested began sending him yellow hearts as a reply to his messages. This hit song was written as an exploration of that uncertainty, and the all-too-common issues of communication that come up in a world where many of us are hiding behind a digital persona.

Saunders was born in Germany and eventually settled in the small town of Woodbury Heights, New Jersey. He has been singing for as long as he can remember, and began releasing original music at age 14 using Audacity and a USB mic. Influenced by R&B and hip-hop acts like Frank Ocean, Daniel Caesar, Tyler the Creator, as well as singer-songwriters like Ed Sheeran, John Legend, and John Mayer, Saunders’ sound combines a passion for lyrical storytelling with an urban feel for production, and a signature vocal delivery that shines with the qualities of velvet and a palpable sense of emotional authenticity. With a vocal mix that features a dry presence and simple harmony, Saunders delivers proof that pure and personal artistic expression can connect directly to fans around the world - no emojis needed.

Saunders: "I want to emphasize: do it yourself. I want to inspire the outcasts, the introverts and show them that they can do anything." This song is featured on our CHILL NEW Songwriters playlist.

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