CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Adult industry veteran Van Styles recently directed three music videos for the Warner Brothers recording artist Murs. Each one features adult performer Roxy Reynolds as the Murs' girlfriend.
Styles met Murs in 2002 while the rising artist was doing an appearance at a music store called The Basement.
"I was actually a fan of Murs prior to meeting him," said Styles, the former pro skateboarder who directed his first adult video in 2002. "We had a mutual interest in skateboarding. He knows a lot of the same skateboarders that I do, and he's also a fan of porn."
Styles produced, directed and edited the three videos that all come from Murs' latest album, Murs for President, which came out in September. The first song is called "Me and this Jawn"; the second is "Part of Me"; and the third is called "The Breakup."
"He had this idea for these three songs that were all connected," Styles said. "The first song was a happy, relationship song; the second one is about when the relationship is going wrong, and the third song is the breakup. He wanted them all to tie together and he wanted to use Roxy in it."
Murs met Reynolds in New York while both were on a satellite radio show called "Lip Service." There is no nudity in the videos, but a topless Reynolds does perform some simulated sex with Murs. Styles shot the videos "guerilla style" in various locations near the beach in Santa Monica as well as in Studio City and Chatsworth.
"We'd freestyle different shots," he said. "We'd be on the go figuring out what we have to get and going out and getting it."
Styles (vanstyles.com) has directed over 70 adult movies since his debut in 2002 for companies such as Video Team, Hustler Video and Vouyer Media. He most recently has been doing the videography and editing for Jenna Haze's newly launched Jennaration X. He is also in pre-production for a new title for Vouyer Media set to shoot in April.
Styles previously collaborated with Murs in 2003 when he shot the music video for "Risky Business" that featured Shock G from Digital Underground and adult stars Jada Fire and Olivia O'Lovely. That video landed on BET.
The "Me and this Jawn" video is already generating a buzz online as it's featured on the XXL magazine website and on BET's blog site, as well as 20 other various hip-hop and music sites.
"I actually like the songs, so it was really fun to put into motion a visual idea of how I could see it going and shooting all this stuff, and then going into my little editing bay and everything just clicking how I wanted," Styles said.
The 28-year-old native of New York who grew up in Chatsworth said he would like to direct more music videos.
"I definitely would like to. If I'm really into the song and the artist it makes it that much more enjoyable to work on," he said. "I grew up in the MTV generation. It's one thing to hear a song and like it and then to see a video for the song makes me like that song even more."
Pictured: Murs, Van Styles and Roxy Reynolds.
For the XXLmag site, click on this link: http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=41207)
For the BET blog site, click on this link: http://blogs.bet.com/music/soundOff/video-murs-me-this-jawn/)
For the "Me and This Jawn" video, click on this link: http://www.vimeo.com/3781234.
