Katie Melua is a British artist whose music is based around the genres of folk-pop, blues and jazz. The single nine million bicycles in Beijing reach number five in the UK top 40, the song was written and produced by Mike Batt. The song was released in September 2005.

The entire video is shot using a panning shot from a bird’s eye view; this shot has been used to represent the flowing storytelling characteristics of folk music, in that each song is written to convey a story. Therefore by the camera constantly moving along with the song from place to place the audience is able to follow the pattern of the lyrics. The video begins in a park with the picture of a couple dressed in neutral clothing, the ambient lighting works alongside the bright relaxed setting in order to match the relaxing genre of the music. The combination of picturesque landscaping, flute and a picnic in the park instantly alerts the audience to the genre of the music.
Katie is also depicted wearing neutral clothing; she conforms to the feminine stereotype by appearing styled and groomed. Her hair and makeup work to emphasize her looks whilst tight clothing and adoring lyrics such as ‘I'm warmed by the fire of your love everyday’ conform to the devoted female stereotype.
Apart from the panning bird’s eye view there are only two other camera shots used in the performance. One of these is when the audience is first introduced to Katie the camera zooms in to a mid shot of Katie’s face and torso, throughout the video the camera remains on this close-up, making Katie the main focal point in each mise-en-scene. This is used so that the audience can interact with the artist; also it gives the audience a visual link to the lyrics and the voice of the music.
Once the camera is focused on Katie she begins to slide across the ground, this affect works with the folk genre of the song as it carries the audience along from scene to scene. The locations used give representations and emphasis to the song lyrics; they are also used to give the audience a sense of familiarity. One example of this is when Katie sings the line ‘Like the fact that I will love you till I die’. This is used to convey the sense of time, and emphasises her commitment to the subject of the song. Katie slides underneath a dishevelled, rusty truck which is used as a visual image of the word die.
Within the song Katie sings a lot about the mass and size of things, such as there being six billion people in the world and that this makes her feel very small. This is represented using a mise-en-scene in which she appears to be travelling through the inner wires of a computer, by visually representing this metaphor Katie once again attempts to add emphasis and recognition to her lyrics further, keeping her audience entertained.
The only other camera change within the song is when Katie emerges onto a beach and the changes to a side on view of Katie and then pans upwards to reveal a shot of Beijing, although the shot only lasts for five seconds it is long enough for the audience to encounter one of the inspirations for the creation of the song, and it also suggests that behind the literal idea of a romantic love song, that the song may be based around the beauty and expanse of the world.

The genre of music is represented well in this video as each shot encompasses a visual representation of the lyrics, which allows the audience to create an image in their minds to understand and follow the song. Despite the feminine representation of the singer she is not portrayed as a sexual object, this means that the audience does not feel like a voyeur and instead gets the feeling that they are being told a story, thing links to the folk genre of music. The video represents an idealistic view of the world, though it lists many facts, it does not list any pessimistic views of the world, this is reinforced by the fact that all of the imagery and scenery is positive using ambient lighting and un-claustrophobic natural settings.