Korean Pop girl group, (G)I-DLE’s singer Minnie recently collaborated with pop star Anne-Marie on a song and has also made a music video. The Expectations MV shows the duo singing songs in different locations but completing each other’s verses and pitching in with harmonies. It is a high-pitched filtered music video.
The video starts with Anne-Marie singing the first verse in a setting that includes an orange mustard couch and a wonderfully exposed lighting set-up. There are some collage-like graphics before the song begins and Minnie is standing in front of a microphone. In the middle, the visual changes to one that looks like it’s been filmed with a vintage camera. This kind of filmmaking technique has been getting popular in K-Pop music videos.
Anne-Marie sings right into the microphone looking determinedly at the camera. She is ready to share this empowerment with women, especially since Women’s Day was just around the corner. The beginning belch is a perfect expression of disdain and exasperation, especially towards people who come back even after being rejected. She then starts singing about loving someone who didn’t respect her back in the same way. And now that she has become stronger and independent, it hurts that person to know they cannot control her anymore.
There are moments in the music video when graphic animation fills the screen. It definitely adds to the storytelling aspect sometimes, but most of the time, it reads as an unwelcome addition to a pretty good music video. Apart from that, all the other visual aspects work well for the song. Choosing the two artists featured in this together is a pretty intelligent decision. They sing about their new dreams and their efforts in achieving them and most importantly, they sing about believing in their dreams without needing anyone’s validation.
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This kind of narrative works extremely well for an anthem. It is catchy and includes two very talented singers who are singing right to people. There aren’t many distractions in the video, it is just them and their microphones with one setting and one outfit. While the set has been defined beautifully, the importance is given to their persona on camera and sharing a message of inspiration and joy.
While the video is chill, the song is even more stripped. It relies heavily on simple guitar chords and some catchy drum beats. However, the harmonies fill the background extremely well, their voices gel well together giving the audience a full-bodied song with high confidence level. What is impactful in this song is that it doesn’t rely on explosive pop icons and dances to make its point. It is brilliant that the song stands on the efforts of its lyrics.
Props to the songwriters C’SA, JONGHAN, LIM, PAPRIKAA and Troy, who have made the song extremely entertaining and thoughtful. The lyrics work perfectly with their performance. They didn’t shy away from making this song bold, especially with cursing, and it is fantastic. It needn’t be overt but there are multiple instances where the two of them decide to embody their own gaze. Anne-Marie consistently wears baggy sweatshirts and short skirts, which has become her aesthetic, while Minnie’s simple cardigan and denim skirt set the tone that their femininity is not a weakness.
Additionally, the way the shots have been framed is extremely female gaze centric, they don’t decide to sensationalise or sexualise the singers. Their playfulness and self-sufficiency are the first impressions we get from the shots. The colour grading and individual expression they have given each artist are fantastically shown in the music video.
Watch the Expectations MV
Expectations is currently streaming on Spotify. What was your favourite lyric from this song and its music video? Let us know in the comments below.
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