EmaliaAfter releasing IOU last month, rising R&B artist Emalia is has invited The Music, and yourself, behind the scenes to see the process behind making the single's (very literally) smokey clip.
Emalia reconnected with Chloe de Brito for the piece, who also worked on the Suga Rush video ("She's an amazing director, I really love working with a powerful female."), and then built an aesthetic riffing on the singer's '90s/early '00s inspirations through careful costuming and choreography.
"I don't consider myself a dancer but I really like to move," says Emalia, "so this was a challenge."
Along the way there was also minor hair trouble, soaked dancers in the early hours, and visits from the fire department. Music video 101 stuff.
We think it all paid off, but check the results out for yourself.
Of the track itself, Emalia calls IOU her "sexy, fun, care-free anthem".
"I wanted to make something that felt empowering to me, something with a boss beat. As soon as we started on that bassline, the chorus came to me in five minutes, lyrics and all.
“I wrote it about pleasure, about lovers keeping each other satisfied,” continues Emalia. “Female pleasure is also something that is becoming less and less of a taboo topic, and I wanted to be part of the movement to talk about that unashamedly and bring awareness to female satisfaction.
"Too many women I know say their partner doesn’t know what they’re doing, and are too afraid to speak up about it. And too many men I know don’t care all too much about their partner’s pleasure, or can’t tell if they’ve hit the spot. Ladies (and gents too, of course) make sure you find someone out there who is invested in making you feel good, and don’t be afraid to express what it is that you want!”
