Music consumers across the globe set their countdowns for a new record or album, initiating a brand-new era for their favourite artist. A new sonic journey, reflections on their life between now and their previous work, and a chance to see this artist thrive in the present are all compelling to the fan but now, more than ever, we have returned to a world where the visuals are on par with the music itself for the fan's experience to become truly captivating.
As a Millennium baby, this was the age of constant development within technology, and that only opened the floodgates for artists to unleash their creativity in more formats than ever before. While music videos are not a novel concept, the creation of YouTube in the mid-2000s allowed it to become the major platform to consume this type of media.
Above: Frames from One Direction's 'Best Song Ever', directed by Ben Winston (2013)
Below: Frame from Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me', directed by Roman White (2009)
Some of the most iconic music videos emerged during in the early 2000s. In 2009, Taylor Swift releases 'You Belong With Me', featuring Swift playing the two leads - opposing characters after the same boy, separating the characters with Swift's classic blonde curls versus a brunette wig. Then we are introduced to One Direction's 'Best Song Ever' music video in 2013, which broke the record for views on Vevo with 24 hours. One Direction's music video shares a similar pretense to Swift's with the band members playing comedic characters in a short sketch about clueless executives trying to rebrand the band. The storytelling of Swift's music video, alongside the comedic narrative of 'Best Song Ever' (as it was written by comedian, James Corden), highlights the influx of artists beginning to use music videos as another way to add layers to their musical realms. This is not to say that Swift and One Direction invented the concept of playing a character or having a separate storyline in music videos, as we're all familiar with Britney Spears' 'Toxic' music video, released in 2003, which remains to reign as one of the most legendary videos of the decade.
Looking back at the early 2000s, we have to acknowledge Eminem's ability to create videos aligning with his music that to this day, are recognised as some of the best in the field. Furthering this, no one broke boundaries quite like Lady Gaga. She was, and still is, a visionary in video making. Albums like 'The Fame' (2008), 'The Fame Monster' (2009), and 'Born This Way' (2011) allowed Gaga to explore this creative realm, as a way to be provocative, daring, and tell stories with real narratives and compel an audience. Growing up, I was captivated by her videos like 'Bad Romance' (2009) and especially 'Telephone' (2009), featuring Beyoncé - this one had me eagerly refreshing Gaga's page, hoping for a sequel to find out what happens post 'to be continued...'
Creativity of all kinds - and life as we knew it - faced an unexpected pause as the COVID-19 pandemic became a defining moment within our modern history. Music will always be released, and it has always had a way of holding up a mirror to and reflecting on what we are facing in that moment. This pandemic almost put everyone on a level ground, with the base level of everyone staying indoors in their homes (whatever that may look like to them). As a result, we were consuming music made directly from emerging and established artists alike's own bedrooms. A defining music moment of this was the release of 'Stuck With U' (2020) by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, with the accoupling music video showing a simple montage of loved ones 'stuck' inside together and embracing each other's company, alongside clips of fans who could not attend their 2020 proms. Understandably, the production and direction of videos during this time were incredibly stripped back, showing the more vulnerable side to the music being released. We even saw NPR Music's Tiny Desk series take a new turn as artists transformed their homes into tiny desks - see Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo for examples.
Now, in a post-pandemic world, the opportunity for artists to flourish as the resources to make art with has returned. In addition to this, the emergence of TikTok in the 2020s has allowed us to capture short form content, edits and compilations of longer media releases, which has only given more of a platform to visual media.
Some artists have particularly taken this in their stride. Sabrina Carpenter's discography and accompanying music videos have always hit the mark. Her fame grew to new heights with the release of 'because i liked a boy' in 2022. The video explores Carpenter as part of a circus spectacle, referring back to the media frenzy surrounding her, allowing themselves into her life as an entertainment form. During this album release, Carpenter also released a music video for another track, 'Fast Times' (2022), which nods to her pop predecessors as she wears a brunette wig like Swift's 'You Belong With Me' and takes visual influences from Spears' 'Toxic' - both music videos mentioned earlier.
Just this month, Carpenter has also released the video to brand new single 'Please Please Please', and the great attention to detail in the storytelling in this album rollout does not go unnoticed. As a nod to her previous video (the viral sensation that is 'Espresso') in which Carpenter gets arrested, she begins this new installment in prison. This video feels like a short film, in which she and her love interest (played by Barry Keoghan) depict the toxic couple troupe effortlessly. The visuals tell the story of her efforts in bailing him out of jail, bringing the lyrics of the song to life. We can see her plea to him come to life, watching the attempts to stop his troublesome activity while she sings 'Heartbreak is one thing / my ego's another / I beg you don't embarrass me.' Complete with outfits that just feel so true to Sabrina's brand, the video enchants her audience and, much like 'Telephone' over a decade ago, asks - what happens next?! As fans claim Carpenter as the current pop princess, it's apparent that she wishes to continue the legacy of her forerunners with subtle nods to them in the visuals of her music videos. This is just another way in which music videos allow for further subtexts and discussions both within one's own discography, but also with other artists in the industry.
Billie Eilish has always excelled in combining the emotions of a song with visual explorations and expansions of those feelings (with live spiders, huge bodies of water, ink in her eyes - you know, the usual.) Both of her video releases following the launch of her third studio album 'HIT ME HARD AND SOFT', this year, have also done just that. 'LUNCH' (2024) is carefree, playful, and an ode to living unapologetically. The video emulates this same attitude, as a call back to 90's and 00's media in its aesthetic and bouncy nature, which Rolling Stone compared to that of an iPod ad. It's clear that music videos are sharing the same retro trend in pop culture at the moment, with the increased use of old digital cameras by young people; it's really exciting to see how music videos can reflect current societal joys, and vice versa. The visuals of 'LUNCH' are not dissimilar to the visual direction of 'Lovin on Me' (2023) by Jack Harlow, released in 2023, which features Harlow among others simply dancing on various coloured backdrops, again with this attitude of living in the moment and pure enjoyment. These examples prove that the song itself, paired with the video, can just be a form of relief and to get us dancing!
Left: 'LUNCH' by Billie Eilish, self-directed (2024) Right: 'Lovin on Me' by Jack Harlow, directed by Aidan Cullen (2023)
As a contrast, Eilish's more recently released, self-directed video for 'CHIHIRO' shows a story of repetition and frustration as Eilish opens different doors throughout an abandoned building. Alongside co-star Nat Wolff, Eilish further faces feelings of despair, misaligned feelings and ultimate distrust of an individual resulting in conflict, lending itself to the lyrics that include 'Did You Take / My love away / From me?' and 'You told me it was war, said you'd show me what's in store / I hope it's not for sure, can you open up the door?' The video, in itself, feels ambiguous but loaded with meaning, all tied in the bow of inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away', which the title itself stemming from the main character.
Last week, the release of 'Genesis.' by RAYE changed the trajectory of our lives forever and has been on repeat ever since. The music video has only elevated the emotions of despair, seeking validation, and true darkness that she has experienced. It feels like every ounce of RAYE has been distilled into this video, with the switch up of quality, references to her past self and habits in 'Escapism' (2023) and transitions bridging the gap between the three distinct parts of the song. Her creative license keeps the act of making music videos so fresh. Notably, RAYE shares director credits with Otis Dominique, sharing Eilish's intention to take part in the creation of music videos to ensure that the storytelling remains true to how the artist views their song.
As a music fan, it is so refreshing to see artists once again utilising music videos as a visual elevation of their creations and it allows us to delve deeper into the world they have created especially for us. Not only can we play the game of spotting tiny details that could be missed on its first watch, or "Easter eggs" for future releases (yes you, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo!), but it helps paint the complete picture that the lyrics produce sonically. It's not about budgets or amount of resources, the videos that stick in our mind are those that showcase imagination, vison and innovation. After all, all it took for the video for 'Cornerstone' by Arctic Monkeys to stick around in our minds was Alex Turner donning a red turtle neck with a garish white background, a recorder and headphone set, and a dream.
Referenced music videos, in order of appearance:
Comments