Music Matters
The coolest sis: Solange solidifies status as Houston's ambassador of hip with'Losing You' video
With a new video and single, Solange is back after a four-year break (she's been busy modeling, DJing and being all-around awesome) and ready to take on her superstar sister for the title of coolest Knowles girl.
A light wisp of a song that mixes Paula Abdul-style '80s pop with an African beat, "Losing You" is a relaxed, catchy ode to lost love that's elevated by a stylish video shot in South Africa.
The video, directed by Melina Matsoukas, features Les Sapeurs (Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People), colorfully stylish men from the Congo inspired by French and British dandy culture and high fashion. Solange mixes in casually, dancing around and hanging out in vintage patterned threads.
As Solange told Pitchfork,
"When Melina and I decided to film 'Losing You' in South Africa, we really didn't have a real firm concept in place. It was sort of a grab a camera and let's go moment. 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 … some of my friends from New York came down to Cape Town and we all had a very damn good time."
The difference between Solange and big sis Beyoncé can be encapsulated in each of their video shout-outs to the African continent, one cool and low-key and the other over-the-top and outrageous.
The Instagram-hued view of Cape Town is a far cry from the fantasy world pictured in Beyoncé's "Run The World (Girls)" video. Shot in California's Mojave desert, it featured Mozambican kwaito dance group Tofo Tofo and Beyoncé performing traditional tribal dances in of a post-apocolyptic setting with lions, jackals and couture headresses.
What do you think of Solange's new song and video?