Posted 11/9/12 12:11 pm EST by Liza Darwin in Music Videos
A still from Rihanna's 'Diamonds' video.
Photo: Island/Def Jam
After haircuts, sneak peeks, and weeks of teasing, Rihanna FINALLY premiered her "Diamonds" video last night on MTV. And guys, this is a pop star at her absolute rawest. Shot by Anthony Mandler, the artsy clip follows Ri's personal journey of highs and lows with black and white close-up shots, fire explosions, pools of water, and yep, more than a few diamonds (hello, symbolism!). Walk with us while we break it down...
Posted 11/9/12 9:00 am EST by Chrissy Mahlmeister in Music Videos
Ke$ha's back, y'all! After not releasing a music video in nearly a year (!!!), the pop singer dropped her "Die Young" track yesterday, which is jam-packed with tons of bondage leather gear, sheer ensembles, and, of course, KILLER nail art. The Illuminati-inspired outfits take on a goth-glam vibe accented with Ke$ha's rock 'n' roll aesthetic, and we're ob-sessed. But enough talk—let's get right into those ensembles, shall we?
Photo: Courtesy of Kemosabe Records/RCA Records
Ke$ha's got her beauty game on LOCK in this shot. She sports a dramatic, dark purple smoky eye with plum blush, a nude lip and platinum blond messy braids. She also showed off tons of intricate stacked silver rings and graphic floral nail art. PERF.
Posted 11/6/12 2:00 pm EST by Liza Darwin in 'It' Girls, Music Videos, Shopping
Ellie Goulding performs 'Only You' for ASOS.
via ASOS.
We first tipped you off to ASOS's ridiculously rad holiday campaign a couple of weeks ago when we unveiled the brand's #BestNightEver images with Azealia Banks, Ellie Goulding, and model Charlotte Free. Now that these sparkly, spangly, and downright ADORABLE pics have had some time to properly sink into our fashion subconscious (is that even a thing?), our girl Ellie G. is here to help jumpstart our shopping list, and who's going to argue with that?! The U.K. singer has just released a new music video for the concept campaign, showing off an exclusive cut of her single "Only You." The breezy, electro-pop track is pretty awesome in itself, but get this— from her embellished top to her cracked PU shorts to her wedge ankle boots, it's 100% shoppable! Mhmmm....genius.
Posted 10/31/12 8:59 am EST by Liza Darwin in Music Videos
A scene from Sky Ferreira's "Sad Dream" video
Photo: Courtesy of Capitol Records
Here's the thing about Sky Ferreira: you never really know what you're going to get with her music videos. Just this summer she's already debuted the Terry Richardson-directed "Red Lips," which quite literally gets under your skin with sultry dance moves, a spider cameo, and lots of red lipstick. Then a couple of weeks ago she channelled fellow blonde bombshells like Madonna and Blondie in the black-and-white clip for "Everything Is Embarrassing." Now Sky's thrown us another curveball with a very different-sounding song...an equally varied music video style to match. In the broody, cinematic "Sad Dream," the new single off her Ghost EP, the singer hits the wide open roads for a Western adventure.
Posted 10/29/12 2:59 pm EST by Liza Darwin in Music Videos
A scene from Rita Ora's 'Shine Ya Light' video.
Photo: Vevo/ Roc Nation
File this one under Understatement of the Century: it's been a HUGE year for Rita Ora. So it's only fitting, then, that after months of touring all over the world, the pop star returns to her Kosovo roots for her new music video. As she's said in the past, "I was born in a little city called Pristina which no one really knows about, so I’m proud to kind of put it on the map out there a little bit because we are a very patriotic country so we always try and mention us wherever we can because it’s such a great place." We get a tour of her hometown in "Shine Ya Light," where Rita performs for a massive crowd in a sparkly minidress, a bikini top, some over-the-knee boots, AND head-to-toe prints. After all, it wouldn't be a Rita Ora video without a fashion show, right? Let's break it down!
Posted 10/25/12 2:00 pm EST by Liza Darwin in Interviews, Music Videos
Chromatics with Karl Lagerfeld.
Photo: via Echo Park Records Instagram
Since they first hit the scene back in 2001, Portland's dream pop quartet Chromatics have won a cult following for their genre-hopping, electronic-inflected sound. But who knew that the group's loyal fanbase ALSO includes one Mr. Karl Lagerfeld?! The Kaiser (who clearly has amazing music taste) recently handpicked the band to soundtrack his Chanel Spring/Summer13 fashion show, and boy, they delivered. Dressed in duds from the French fashion house (duh), members Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller, Nat Walker, and Johnny Jewel performed live at the Grand Palais, filling the epic venue with their pulsating romantic set. Now they've just released a new video for their single "Looking For Love" that's stocked with makeup, models, and gorgeous behind-the-scenes footage of the show. It's the perfect lo-fi blend of fashion meets music, and we had to find out more. So we tracked down the band to get the back story on just HOW this incredible couture relationship came about. According to Johnny (who also performs in electro-duo Glass Candy), Karl and the band go way back. "Karl's been using Glass Candy & Chromatics songs on the runway since 2007, so there's definitely a history with us there," he said.
Posted 10/23/12 1:17 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Ladies, Music Videos
Ladies banding together for "You Don't Own Me" lip dub PSA.
Photo: Courtesy of You Don't Own Me's Vimeo Channel
With Election Day exactly two weeks away, supporters for each party are ramping up awareness and campaigns in lead-up. In response and opposition to Mitt Romney's policies regarding women's rights, specifically reproductive rights, filmmaker Sarah Sophie Flicker and Lesley Gore, the original artist behind feminist anthem "You Don't Own Me," have assembled a MASSIVE band of women to create a music video PSA around Gore's iconic song. While celebrity and media endorsements alone are no basis for a vote (unless it's for the EMAs *WINK*), we still can't help but sit up and take notice when a lip dub video — politically charged or not — boasts a laundry list of our favorite musicians, actresses, and fashion plates. This one just also happens to be sprinkled with information and messaging relevant to our own lives and rights.
Posted 10/2/12 3:47 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Music Videos
A still from Solange's "Losing You" music video.
Photo: Courtesy of Terrible Records
After a little more than two weeks of teasing, Solange's full music video for "Losing You" is out!!!! The Dev Hynes (a.k.a. Blood Orange) produced track (which BTW is available for digital download NOW - go to HERE to cop it!) is finally set to moving image thanks to M.I.A. "Bad Girls" director/mastermind Melina Matsoukas, and you better believe this video is every bit as ultra-cool and eclectic as the song itself.
Solange, Melina and friends traveled to Cape Town, South Africa to film the short amongst the Congo's Le Sapeurs. Sol told Pitchfork, "I knew I wanted to capture a couple things: the vibe of our friendship and all of the crazy escapades we've gotten ourselves into all over the world, and the abstract and elegant Le Sape Society (Society for the Advancement of People of Elegance) formed in the Congo which was documented by Daniele Tamagni in his Gentlemen of Bacongo book."
Rubbing elbows with these dapper dudes calls for a seriously tricked out wardrobe, and rest assured the video's fashion team (Solange herself and big sister Beyonce's stylist Ty Hunter) delivered. Fitting as many outfits as Solange & Co. did into a 4-minute-and-21-second time frame is no easy feat, so we're breaking the video down look by look. LEGGO!
Posted 10/1/12 3:00 pm EST by Liza Darwin in Music Videos
A still from Iggy Azalea's "Back 2 Tha Future (My Time)" video.
Photo: Iggy Azalea's YouTube page
We might not be able to rap like Iggy Azalea or snarl like Iggy Azalea, but at least we've tracked down the first step to DRESSING like Iggy Azalea. The secret: it all comes courtesy of the Australian stunner's stylist Alejandra Hernandez, who's worked with Iggy on photoshoots and music videos, like "The Last Song," "My World," and most recently "Back 2 Tha Future (My Time)." We've had the kaleidoscopic clip on loop ever since it dropped on Friday, still kiiiind of hypnotized from the thumping beats, trippy graphics, and killer, gotta-have-it fashion. So what's the story?! As Alejandra told us over email, Iggy's "vintage craziness" in the video comes from shops all over the country. The original plan for the vid was to shoot in front of a wall painted with Renaissance artwork, but after being unable to stalk one in L.A., Alejandra replaced the idea with art-inspired clothes, like the epic Mona Lisa topper above. "The Mona Lisa motorcyle jacket was the first thing I saw and was like "Oh my God, that's so Trap Gold." Agreed!
Posted 9/28/12 3:14 pm EST by Liza Darwin in Beauty, Music Videos
Christina Aguilera in 'Your Body.'
Photo: RCA Records/Vevo
Let's all give Christina Aguilera a round of applause for giving us THE best way to cruise into the weekend. After tons of hints, Tweets, and Facebook sneak peeks, she's dropped her music video for "Your Body" today, and good news- it's basically just as epic as we'd all been secretly hoping. There's no question the track is a guaranteed dance party, and our girl has turned out a major video to match, complete with about a ZILLION costume changes and 7 different beauty looks! Between the retro curls, the braids and the rainbow weave, they're too good NOT to break down, one by one..so let's get started!
