Feeling Myself : Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj

 Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Feeling Myself’ Video Upstages Taylor Swift 

“Feeling Myself” is a single of Minaj’s latest album, Pinkprint, with Beyoncé’s involvement presumably the returned favor for Minaj guesting on the remix for “Flawless.” The song itself is a superb example of catchy nothingness, featuring traded swagger between two of music’s most ferocious lyric-spitters, centered around a satisfyingly braggadocio chorus that has the pair repeating that they’re “feeling myself.”

Based on that, the video, released by surprise a day after Taylor Swift’s own exhaustively promoted clip, is perfect.

In the video, Beyoncé and Nicki, basically, don’t do anything. It’s a montage of the two artists vamping for the camera, a slideshow of look-at-me-I’m-fabulous scenes that are as visually stunning as they are seemingly random and unstaged. No storyline. No message. Just slay.

In one frame, there they are tooling around under a highway street sign that says “Coachella.” In another, they’re baking in the kitchen. Grinding in front of a car. Twerking in a bathroom. Is that Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj playing with water guns in a kiddie pool? And, oh my god, chowing down on hamburgers? How weird! How fabulous.


“Feeling Myself” is in the vein of Beyoncé’s semi-recent “7/11” video. It’s another example of that Beyoncé-perfected thing, where she makes an obviously carefully orchestrated and complicated video shoot come off as casual improv.

It’s a smart idea in the age of glaringly overproduced, loud, and bombastic music videos. The homegrown, DIY aesthetic of the clip appeals to fans because of the relatability of it. Beyoncé dances around the house with a glass of wine in her hand? I do that! Can I, too, be Beyoncé? We can all be Beyoncé!

And now, we can be Nicki Minaj, too!
Don’t be mistaken. Pulling off a video like this requires a painstaking amount of work and planning, even if it’s meant to come off as gritty and haphazard. Still, it’s a refreshing reprieve from the culture of excess and shamelessness that’s taken over the world of music videos in pop music lately.

It’s fitting that the message of “Feeling Myself” and the ensuing video basically just heralds the confidence of two of music’s fiercest performers, because it takes a lot of confidence to execute something as understated as this. Those massive videos with lots of hype, special effects, and cameos by every famous person in the world—ahem—they’re big-budget manifestations of crippling insecurity.

It’s certainly worth noting the significance of the “Feeling Myself” release so close on the tail of Taylor Swift’s release of her “Bad Blood” music video.

Swift’s incessant promotion of “Bad Blood” in the lead-up to its Sunday night debut bordered on maddening, with the star sharing photos on social media of all the celebrity friends of hers who would be making blink-and-miss-it appearances in the clip. This went on for so long and included so many seemingly random people, that honestly I kept refreshing Swift’s Instagram account to see what role I’d be playing in “Bad Blood.” I had to have been the only person left not cast.
 
When the “Bad Blood” video finally premiered, it was as the much-ballyhooed kickoff to Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards on ABC. After it finished airing—on network television, to boot—Swift took the stage to soak in the applause for the clip, a sort of sci-fi orgy of starlets in leather catsuits channeling The Matrix. It was weird—but not exactly the good weird that is “Feeling Myself.”

There’s certainly something to be said, in an age when MTV has long since given up on playing music videos and most clips debut with little fanfare or recognition, Swift successfully worked her teeny tuchus off promoting and drumming up interest in “Bad Blood.” I think there’s something more interesting to be said about the Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj garnering just as much attention for a video they dropped with no promotion on a streaming service most of us can’t access.

People like “Feeling Myself” not because they’ve been convinced to by an assault of pre-release promotion, but because it’s really damn good.

“Feeling Myself” allows Beyoncé and Minaj’s talent to speak for itself, and in turn is a much more engaging and entertaining video than any of those more over-the-top productions. As a showcase for two of the founding partners in Tidal, it’s a reminder, too, of maybe what the more noble mission of the endeavor was in the first place: to foster more of this kind of wacky, meticulous brilliance.

Cr.Dailybeast

 

Met Gala 2015 : Photo

Never let it be said that Rihanna doesn't know how to make an entrance.
On a night when big stars were a dime a dozen — try George and Amal Clooney, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Cher — the pop singer still managed to pull the red carpet out from under the rest of them at the Met Gala on Monday when she swooped in wearing a fur-trimmed yellow cape with floral swirls of gold and a train so long it required three wranglers.
The ensemble came with a little pink mini-dress underneath, and a sparkling tiara. In keeping with the evening's theme — China, and its artistic influence on the West — the outfit came from Beijing-based designer Guo Pei, whose sumptuous designs also are on display in the current Metropolitan Museum exhibit, "China: Through the Looking Glass."
As befitting a star — or fashion royalty — Rihanna commanded premium attention on the carpet by being one of the very last to arrive. But compared to another A-lister, she was an early-bird.

Beyoncé and her husband, Jay Z, arrived so late that many photographers were giving up and leaving. She was highly photogenic, though, in an ultra-sheer, bejeweled Givenchy Haute Couture gown by Riccardo Tisci.
Deep, ruby reds, shimmery golds and other jewel tones dominated the color scheme as the multitudes of invited celebrities embraced this year's China inspiration. There were sequins aplenty, and embroidery was everywhere.


One of the first to arrive was the gala's longtime head, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who sported an orange-and-red floral couture gown from Chanel as she walked up the stairs to kick off the star-studded party that raises millions for the Met's Anna Wintour Costume Center.

"It's like Oscar night for the fashion world, but without the pressure of who's going to get an award."- Actress Kate Hudson on the glamour of the Met Gala

She was followed by a succession of stars from film, music, fashion, TV and even sports unrivaled anywhere but perhaps the Oscars. As actress Kate Hudson noted: "It's like Oscar night for the fashion world, but without the pressure of who's going to get an award." Hudson was dressed in a sleek gown of gold sequins, by Michael Kors.
One of the biggest stars of the evening — and a surprise, until the last moment — was Cher, in an understated (relatively) sequined Marc Jacobs gown in gray and purple with a vaguely floral motif.

There were also a number of Chinese celebrities in attendance, perhaps chief among them actress Gong Li, who offered a girlish tilt of her head as she waved in a deep red velvet gown with black lace and a fan design. Celebrated film director Wong Kar Wai was there as the Met exhibit's artistic director.

Sarah Jessica Parker, who was one of the unqualified hits on last year's red carpet in elegant custom Oscar de la Renta, did not disappoint this time around, appearing in a towering red headpiece that resembled fiery flames. Designed by milliner Philip Treacy, the piece bore long red tassels on each side.

Parker paired it with a one-shoulder black gown embellished with sashes comprised of bits of vintage fabric and beads from Sweden — a collaboration with H&M and the company's Conscious Collection, which focuses on sustainable fabrics.
"We thought it told a great story, and also gave you ideas on how you could rethink what is important in your life and ways to reuse it again," Parker said.
Parker said she'd been working on the outfit since November, after getting "piecemeal clues" from Wintour on what this year's theme might be.

One of the world's most watched women, Amal Clooney, arrived on her husband's arm in a tiered ruby-red gown by John Galliano for Maison Margiela.
And another widely watched woman, Lady Gaga, wore a huge kimono-like garment studded with feathers by Balenciaga. Gaga drew cheers when she waved to the crowd packed behind bleachers across Fifth Avenue from the museum.
Actress Kristen Wiig embraced the evening's color scheme, wearing a flowing yellow chiffon number by Prabal Gurung, who accompanied her on the carpet.
Jennifer Lopez bared a lot more skin in a red Versace gown with sheer side panels.

Kim Kardashian opted for sheer, too, in a white gown with a feathery train by Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli, the designer's first for the house. Little sister Kendall Jenner went with Calvin Klein, sparkling in green with sexy laces on each side. Mom Kris was there, too, in a bright red draped gown with a gold belt.
Anne Hathaway shimmered in a sleek hooded body-skimmer from Ralph Lauren. Her hair in a temporary bob, Katie Holmes took Zac Posen's arm in one of his designs, a sparkly blue gown with cutouts at the back.
Justin Bieber showed up in a black jacket slithering with gold dragons, by Balmain.

A bird of paradise adorned the bottom of Glee star Dianna Agron's one-shoulder Tory Burch gown.
Chinese actress Tang Wei glittered, literally, in a silver dress embedded with thousands of crystals. "I came here to see beauties," she said, "all the beautiful actresses."
The guests all seemed aware of a new ban Wintour had placed on selfies inside. They seemed to be happy to go along with it.

"I think selfies can kind of cut into the moment and the fun," said Gabrielle Union, in purple Posen, accompanied by husband Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. "It's not that fun if you need to document the whole thing."
Parker agreed.
"I can't tell you how liberating that is to hear," she said. "Remember when we used to just have these experiences and if we were lucky we captured them and so they'd be here (pointing to her head) and here (pointing to her heart)? I feel really happy about it frankly. We'll see who breaks the rule first."

Cr.CBC News