So Sam Smith and Demi Lovato got together to create a little video that combines sport, previous heartbreak, new love, sexuality and the LGBTQI+ community- who could really argue with that?
First things first, let’s have a quick little review of the song itself before we dive into the video. The overall vibe is quiet typical of Sam, featuring those signature vocals placed within a semi-ballad that has a little bit of a upbeat vibe that you just know will be remixed for the gay bars. We’re basically looking at an ode to new love and allowing yourself to enjoy experiences with someone new. One of my personal favourite factors is that we’re getting a dose of Demi’s vocals to compliment Sam’s, which is always welcome cos let’s face it, she’s fabulous. This has a good old positive message behind it and from the first listen it’s quite catchy, so it was obvious that the track would end up slipping itself straight into the playlist.
Now let’s get onto the more important factor here, the music video, which is basically the Queer Olympics as told by a non-binary icon and a sexually fluid ally. The opening shot is Sam having a bit of a wrestle, along with a whole bunch of other singlet-clad individuals. Now the singlets themselves are basically disco balls, covered in so much sparkle they would make Elton John proud. That wasn’t enough though, they’re also sporting some glam make-up – who ever said wrestling couldn’t be stunning?
After a fill of wrestling and as the chorus starts to kick in, what do we get? A literal Drag Race. No, not a competition with runways and challenges, but a little set of dragged up artists running for the finish line in full drag, heels included (RUNNING. IN. HEELS?!). Immediately you’ll recognise future season 12 winner (c’mon it’s too obvious) and all-round stunner Gigi Goode, which does briefly distract us and have us screaming “Good morning campers!”. Another queen you’ll probably notice straight away too is Valentina, our season 9 “fan favourite. The other amazing creatures in the line up (who you might not be as familiar with) are the super talented Alok, super glam soul diva Shea Diamond, extra creative stylist Jeffrey Williams and stunning visual artist Karis. The extra gag is that all of these wonderful people identify as trans, non binary or gender fluid – we’re hoping this made for some heartwarming and progressive chit chats behind the scenes! (P.s there’s a massive Tik Tok plug)
Moving straight on, it’s time for Demi to make her appearance an damn she looks fierce standing on the edge of a diving board in that suit, especially paired with a pretty belt and a cute mesh top. Did we mention that the divers are rocking corsets and some subtle make-up? Like, can this please become a thing for real? Everything about these visuals are high-queer, super stunning and down right glamorous.
Now that we’re at a point where the joint vocals have kicked in, we get a glimpse of Sam and the wrestlers again, plot twist: they’re wearing some tall-ass heels and have broken out in a nice bit of choreography. The combination of butch/femme blend is truly serving us life and having it carried out in those heels is just terribly impressive. Oh and the divers have started causing a splash too, causing some cute visuals of water rising up.
When we reach the finale of the queer Olympics, we do of course have our medal ceremony – what else would we expect? A whole bunch of amazing queer people stood on podiums with medals and flowers is just what the world needs, the cute colour scheme in the back and super fun gymnastics going on around them definitely doesn’t hurt either. There’s a lot of light at the end of the video, almost shooting out of a rainbow-lit backdrop, so the whole thing is just a massive celebration of the queer community and we’re absolutely here for it.
All in all this screams success story, it’s certainly enjoyable and we’re pleased to see such a celebration of queer culture.
