Tinashe isn’t one to wait.
As a result, when her record label wasn’t into the idea of funding videos for some of the songs from her spectacular debut album Aquarius, she shrugged and went on her merry way to do the damn thing herself — a classic Slaynashe move from the mixtape days.
Yesterday, the “2 On” titan dropped a Stephen Garnett-directed visual for “Bated Breath,” one of the album’s most poignant and atmospheric ballads. “When I know my label’s not going to produce music videos, I’ll either make them myself or I’ll find people that I think are cool and reach out to them directly. I’m like, ‘Fuck it. I’ll just do it’,” she explained to W.
And so, Tinashe, Garnett and just a few crew members headed into the Mojave Desert to shoot the extended clip independently — the Tinashe way.
Without a big budget, it’s up to Tinashe alone, suited in an army outfit, to bring the emotion of the clip to life. (My God, she must have been burning up beyond belief in that thing!)
Filled with breathtaking (breath is bated…) landscape shots and close-ups on the singer, the video focuses solely on the lonely warrior and her internal war. It’s an artsy shoot that stretches the track into an 8-minute production, rewinding throughout and adding to the otherworldly quality of the song itself.
At some point, it feels less like we’re watching Tinashe move through the desert and more like seeing a lonesome space traveler exploring an uninhabited planet from Interstellar.
Above all, like the homegrown “Aquarius” clip, this is exactly how Tinashe stays true to herself as an artist and stays versatile while dropping accessible club smashes like “2 On” and “All Hands On Deck”…and that’s why she’s going to continue to win.
‘Aquarius’ was released on October 7. (iTunes)
