The use of technology in music videos has evolved the many different ways that artists can express themselves. Music videos show the connection between music and image to tell a story. A music video can have multiple meanings that convey many different feelings for the audience. There have been songs I enjoy listening to because of how it makes me feel or it has a catchy beat. Then when I watch the music video of that song later, I discover a new interpretation that I didn’t even think of. That’s the power music videos have and it has honestly pushed me to watch more music videos from a wide genre of artists over time. From the use of real settings or background dancers, music videos leave so much room for creativity and it’s up to the audience to explore what the artist is trying to convey.
Lemonade by Beyoncé
I have been a huge fan of Queen B for a very long time. When she released her 6th studio album, Lemonade, my mind was blown. It is one one of my all time favorite albums, I can have it on repeat all day. What is special about this album is that it isn’t just any album, it’s Beyoncé’s second visual album. A visual album is when an artist releases a music video to each song on that album. It paints a bigger picture and is a new form of storytelling that uses technology to bring together music and image. A visual album breaks stereotypes of what a music video should be. It is a new way of delivering an album and Beyoncé stays delivering.
There are 12 songs on the album Lemonade and each song represents a chapter in the narrative Beyoncé is telling. This album is about a black woman’s journey through grief. It projects a variety of emotions such as anger, emptiness, pain, forgiveness, and hope. One song on this album is called “Formation” and it’s my absolute favorite song off this album. The song is about healing and empowerment. I believe the music video for this song is one of Beyoncé’s best and most creative videos she has ever released. It has over 206 million views on YouTube and even features her daughter Blue Ivy and figures like Martin Luther King Jr.. The video goes deep into the issues and injustices the Black community faces here in America. The video starts with her on top of a police car that is sinking in water. But it’s not just any police car, it’s one from New Orleans and the flooding is a result of Hurricane Katrina. Beyoncé is calling out the government for not helping New Orleans, a predominantly black community, during the disaster.
Black Lives Matter
Throughout the music video, Beyoncé reveals the reality of the black community and calls for a change in the system that constantly oppresses and discriminates against them. She uses her voice to stand against issues such as police brutality. There’s a clip in the video that shows a message in graffiti that says “Stop Shooting Us.” Beyoncé is using this music video to state that Black Lives Matter and we should be an ally and stand with them. I found the most powerful clip in this music video to be when a black kid comes face to face with a line of white cops in full gear. I believe the child represents a symbol of being fearless. The child starts dancing, embracing who he is and where he comes from.
Beyoncé also embraces who she is, a black woman and she is proud of it. She also calls out Eurocentric beauty standards and how black women shouldn’t be apologetic for who they are. She is calling other women to get in “formation” and chase success along her side. Beyoncé has worked hard for what she has and she is not going to back down.
A New Form of Storytelling
I didn’t really think it was possible to tell a story through a visual album. Visual albums aren’t that big right now, however I do see them growing in the future. Seeing the story that Beyoncé delivers in this album is an innovation. It’s creativity brought to life. Beyoncé is using her platform to emphasize the need for progress in this country. She is doing something new and I admire her even more for that.
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