“Music videos aren’t a thing of the past, they are a forward-moving art form”
BY CHLOE DEYES, IMAGE BY GIRLI
One of my most vivid memories when I was in secondary school was going to my friend’s house on our lunch break and watching music videos. Cucumber sandwiches in hand, I sat with my three good mates, watching TV, speaking about who we fancy and having a mutual agreement about not looking forward to P.E. last period.
I remember watching numerous music videos from the likes of Usher, where he dances on an empty road with burning trees around him, to classics like Nelly and Kelly. I will never know why she was texting him on Excel. But one thing that doesn’t come to mind is queer music videos.
Thankfully, YouTube is my go-to holder of all things musically sapphic-related. When a song is released and it’s catchy, I like to do a little research into the artist if they’re new or unknown to me. So, when I find that the artist is part of the LGBTQIA community, I feel like it’s a euphoric moment for all those people who are looking for a way to express themselves through music.
Yesterday was a great day for queer music content as we had the wonderfully talented LYVIA releasing her video to the ever so catchy Trippin and the powerhouse Girli premiering her Matriarchy video which shows a world ruled by sapphics. What a great time that’d be!
Taking on two different approaches to show female relationships, both artists capture the love and passion between the people involved. I love music videos, especially ones that show some sort of relationship. I’m all for a video that captures three minutes of hope and love between two women, but I equally love the videos that take me on a journey of ‘will they, won’t they.’
There are so many great music videos out there which ultimately are a vignette of sapphic love. These are stories that need to be told and if that isn’t in the form of a longer piece of media, then at least we’re having these snippets of joy.
But it doesn’t stop there, over the past few months we have the likes of Janelle Monáe having dropped bangers like Lipstick Lover and Waterslide. Not only do they get us dancing (or at least trying to), but we get to watch Blackness and body representation with queerness included in these few minutes of pure elation.
It’s been interesting to see the public response to Rosemary Joaquin’s music video Erika. I have seen so many Insta comments asking, “What series is this?” or “Movie title?” I understand why the public is asking these questions due to the nature and the portrayal of the performers in this video. It’s great to see so many people asking what this is so they can seek out and enjoy some sapphic love.
As multiple shows with queer storylines and characters are being pulled from our screens, there is still hope in having new and exciting content of all things queer. Music videos aren’t a thing of the past, they are a forward-moving art form.
One thing is for sure, if you love to see some wholesome gals dating and having a cute time with a dash of heartache, then have a search for new and not so new queer artists to make your heart whole again.
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