Cultural appreciation is frequently exhausted through media. Rather it is through a simple tweet, an art piece or a visual for a music video, culture is everywhere. A case in point of cultural appreciation is an artist’s expression shown through music. Solange’s hit song “Losing You’ is a funky and vibrant song with an inimitable visual.
Produced by Dev Hynes and Solange, the song originally released on October 2, 2012 off of her EP True and grabbed headlines and the attention of many. Coming in at No. 22 on the UK Indie charts, the public loved her sound. Solange mentions with an interview with the South African Sunday Times that the influences of the song are from the 80’s and African percussion instruments. It is indeed a song of Rhythm and Blues also with a dash of electronic wave.
The visual of “Losing You” was directed by Melina Matsoukas; director of Grammy Award Winner “We Found Love” by Rihanna. Matsoukas’s resume is pretty dope, filled with projection done like Ne-Yo’s “Because of You,” Snoop Dogg’s “Sensual Seduction”, and many videos for Solange’s older sister Beyoncé. Did you see the On the Run Tour Promo video yet? Yes? It was done by Matsoukas herself.
Moreover, the video was directed in the township of Langa in Cape Town, South Africa. It was inspired by Italian Photographer Daniele Tamagni’s book Gentleman of Bacongo. The book is filled with photos from Le Sape Society, also known as Society for the Advancement of People’s Elegance. The VIBE Vixen mentions that she was styled by Ty Hunter and selected by Elle South Africa fashion director Asanda Sizaniwas. Solange wears bright colors and exciting patterns by Suno, Kenzo, Diane von Fürstenberg, Opening Ceremony, and J. Crew in the visual.
The video is a combination of fashion and cultural tributes to African culture and also to correlate to the lyrics of her song. The words express someone who is realizing they are losing their lover. She sings “Tell me the truth boy am I losing you for good, We used to kiss all night but now there’s just no fuse, I don’t know why I fight it, clearly we are through.”
Her awkward placement in the video gives viewers the vibe of when something is going wrong with your love life and your feelings start seeping through your pores. You become still, you become out of touch with reality but yet you yearn for someone to notice you. She sings blankly in the camera while people move around her not realizing she is standing there or yet alone dancing in their work places. She identified herself not as Beyoncé’s younger sister, but a woman who walks to the beat of her own drum. She has received positive feedback from MTV’s Buzz Worthy Blog, where its mention only Solange could pull off this style.
Observe and absorb the cultural appreciation of Solange’s creation.
