keep you | music video

{ directed by Melina Matsoukas }

I am excited to share Wild Belle's official music video for Keep You, which debuted earlier this week on the Rolling Stone website. Director Melina Matsoukas spoke to the magazine about her interpretation of the song and the narrative she chose to tell through the video. "It's a story about unrequited love and how with age, we don't necessarily mature," she said. "All of us are forever young. Old habits never die."

Full of stunning visuals and clever details, the Kingston, Jamaica-filmed video chronicles Natalie's tumultuous relationship with a young man. On twitter, Melina cited films such as Rockers and Moonrise Kingdom as inspiration for Keep You. These references are apparent in the stylistic nod to 1970s Jamaica and the subtle, Wes Anderson-like humor that pops up throughout the narrative. Melina is an artist known for pushing the envelope with her complex and thought-provoking story lines. Like some of her other work, this ambiguous tale of love and heartache makes you think twice. What I take away is a charming and nuanced portrayal of a character who is having a hard time letting go of a first love—a love who was hard to hold onto in the first place. A love who is pathologically young at heart. I hope you enjoy it!

{ snapshots of Jamaica through Wild Belle's lens }