The Tribune

By FARAH BAHAMIAN artist El Padrino was gone for 'a minute', and now he is back with a new song and a new video. It is gaining positive reviews locally and internationally. The "Duffles" video was shot on Rose Island and Norman's Cay. It is the first video from the artist since he took his short break a year and a half ago. "People were saying I fell off and they have not seen me in a while. They thought I was finished and I was not making music anymore. But we shocked everyone. We surprised them with this video," he told In Ya Ear. The Duffles music video, produced under the KAOS record label, was filmed and edited by Bahamian native Ryan Lightbourn. The video was first released on Padrino's Youtube channel early this month and got 5,000 views. The video was also posted on the artist's Facebook page, as well as other music sites. One Padrino fan said: "This is by far the hottest music video to ever come out of the Bahamas. I love the video. The quality is great, so good job to everyone." In the video Padrino plays a drug dealer who is wanted by the police. Padrino and his crew stop at Norman's Cay to pick up duffle bags filled with money. The stash house scene and interrogation room were filmed at Popop Studios. "Some of the things this song talks about, are things that people are afraid to say. I am a very opinionated person and I say what I have to say in my music. The production value made the video stand out. I want to give credit to the whole team who helped made this video what it is," Padrino said. The audio track for Duffles has not been released for radio distribution as yet. The artist hopes the video will draw hype and attention for the song's release. "It was basically a marketing strategy and a business decision. The song is not even out yet and it is already getting positive reviews from fans all over." During Padrino's apparent break, he was hard at work making enough music for almost three albums. The real break was from being in the lime-light and attending all of the social events, he said. "People did not see me popping bottles at this party or the next and they thought I was not really doing anything. I took a break from all of that but I was still making music. When you are in the public's eye that life becomes difficult at times because people are always getting in your business. It is as if you do not have a private life at all. This kind of stuff hurts your personal relationship with your family," the artist said. Padrino said his goal for the rest of the year is to continue developing his brand to attract a worldwide fan base. "I am trying to market my music globally and add more value to my brand. This allows me to be able to expand worldwide and I have been successfully climbing towards that," he said. Duke and Lisa Wells from Scary Baby Doll Productions produced the Duffels audio track and video.