In 2006, when he was only 18 years old, Jonas Thomassen was a finalist in the Norwegian finals of Pop Idol. Shortly thereafter, he released his debut album “Bold Street” and began touring internationally.
Needing a break from life on the road and young stardom, Thomas came to Bali for a short visit. Seduced by the island, he unpacked his bag and his been living in Bali, surfing its waves while composing music ever since.
Bali also serves as the inspiration for Jonas Thomassen’s latest “Tiny Island” album that sees an artistic transformation from an indie rocker to a more mature pop artist
Among Thomassen’s many friends and acquaintances in his adoptive home of Bali, is the young up-and-coming Indonesian director Erick EST who directed Jonas Thomassen’s music video “So Simple.” Before producing the video for the man known as the “Norwegian Idol,” Erick had earlier set his hand to making music videos for leading local bands such as Nanoe Biroe, D’ Ubud N Band, The Wheels, Superman is Dead and Taboo.
“So Simple” is loosely based on a dream sequence that takes viewers on a mini-tours of Bali including shots from Kuta Beach, Uluwatu and Turu-Turu Beach at Jimbaran. The 3 minute 11 second YouTube video, shown on Balidiscovery.com, displays the soothing acoustic “new” sound of Thomassen, showcases the skills of a Bali-based film maker and also promotes the island to the wider world.
Quoted in Beritabali.com, Erick EST explained that Thomassen chose Bali over Thailand as the location for his video clip, seeing Bali as the more exotic locale. Erick EST, a graduate of Bali’s school of fine arts ISI, says the video clip is will be shown on MTV International.
