Fort Minor frontman Mike Shinoda has officially announced the return of his solo project away from Linkin Park, and he’s already making an impact in a major way. The official music video for Fort Minor’s first single in nearly 10 years, “Welcome,” is the first to make use of the groundbreaking YouTube 360 feature. This allows viewers to watch the video from every angle possible, provided they use Chrome on desktop or the YouTube app on Android or iOS. Users change perspective by dragging the mouse arrow around or by moving their mobile device.
The video was shot at Venice Beach, offering viewers a full view of the scenery with the usual “live performance” shots. More interestingly, it features a large mural Shinoda designed and spray-painted on 1,000 vinyl record jackets. Each of these unique jackets will be signed and sold individually with the vinyl single inside, along with a reprint of the full mural.
As for the song itself, it’s not a huge departure from his previous work. The beat sounds just like “Where’d You Go?” and he admits after the first album that he “hit it and quit it” and “left y’all hanging.” He did, however, tell Power 106 that he’s apparently influenced by The Weeknd, so maybe subsequent tracks will have a different sound.
Download the mp3 at the official Fort Minor site, and be sure to watch the video above.
(Via Fort Minor YouTube / Mike Shinoda Twitter / Power 106)
