Baïki
Baïki explores humanity’s contradictions in KosmoX, a thought-provoking release that blends science fiction and satire to examine conflict, morality, technological progress, and the future of our species.
1.”KosmoX” uses science fiction as a vehicle for social commentary. What inspired you to explore humanity’s need for a “common enemy” through the lens of alien colonization?
“KosmoX” is a metaphor for humanity since the dawn of time. If there is one thing that (almost) all societies throughout history have in common, it is that conflicts are always settled with axes, guns, swords or missiles. But there is something worse and even more depressing: conflicts seem to be inherent in human nature. Since time immemorial, humankind seems incapable of defining itself in terms of non-conflict. Peace between two peoples only exists because there was war before…
“KosmoX” explores this utter nonsense. Since humankind is condemned to hate in order to exist, finding a common enemy for all humans would bring peace to Earth. And what common enemy would be more convenient than aliens – preferably repulsive ones?
2. The song raises important questions about whether technological progress has outpaced our moral development. How do you see this imbalance reflected in today’s society, and why was it important to address it in this release?
It’s clear that humankind has shown great ingenuity ever since it first appeared on Earth, to adapt its environment and make life easier. We have never stopped inventing, exploring the world around us and pushing the boundaries of our knowledge. And the result is plain to see. There is simply no comparison between the lives of our ancestors and the comforts of our modern society.
Yet, whilst the technological man is now preparing to conquer space, the moral man has not changed. Current events show us that matters are still settled in the same way and with the same cruelty throughout the ages, always to the benefit of the powerful and always to the expense of the weakest…
3. The lyrics are both satirical and unsettling, presenting conquest and exploitation with a deliberately ironic tone. How did you approach balancing humor and criticism while writing the song?
The message of this song is so heavy and distressing that the only way to talk about it is through humour. This humour highlights the absurdity of the world we live in, but it also creates a distance between the harshness of the topic and the way it is expressed.
4. The music video portrays a scientist casually explaining the colonization of another planet while atrocities unfold in the background. What message were you hoping viewers would take away from this contrast between cheerful presentation and dark reality?
I remember the Gulf War and the shocking way in which the events were presented to us on television. Scale models of military vehicles, small flags. A sort of giant, completely dehumanised game of chess played out on television. It was all too easy to forget that, behind it all, people were dying under the bombs…
5. Phil, you performed all 30 Earthling characters in the video. What was the biggest challenge of bringing so many different personalities to life, and what do these characters symbolize collectively?
Collectively, they symbolise the human being. That’s why it was important to play all the roles. We wanted to show that, ultimately, in the eyes of an alien, we’re all the same.
The biggest challenge was for Yves, the director. It was he who had to incorporate all the characters into this imaginary world he had created.
6. Despite its futuristic setting, KosmoX feels very much rooted in present-day concerns about war, consumerism, inequality, and environmental destruction. Do you see the song as a warning, a satire, or perhaps a reflection of where humanity already finds itself today?
Yes, indeed. That is the bitter reality of what humanity is. A technological genius trapped in the body of a monster of immorality.
If humankind does not change – and I doubt it will ever manage to do so – it will never meet any extraterrestrials. What alien would want to make contact with a race so backward that it is constantly tearing itself apart, so foolish that it contaminates, destroys and pollutes its own living space, and so arrogant that every conquest must inevitably end with the planting of a flag?
Instead of solving problems on Earth, most powerful figures believe it’s better to start all over again somewhere else. ‘KosmoX’ (freely inspired by the SpaceX project, as you may have guessed) is an ironic representation of futurological theories designed to ensure the survival of the human race. And it ends badly, of course…