ARTIST STUDY ALEXANDRA SAVIOR
ABOUT ALEXANDRA
Alexandra Savior is a singer songwriter from Oregon in the USA. Aged just 22, she has recently released her debut album ‘Belladonna of Sadness’ (April 2017). Her work is often described as dream-pop in terms of its genre, and the melodic and haunting instrumentation that feels synthetic and surreal, in combination with her wide vocal range, and laidback, yet intimate singing style, this is easily recognizable in every song.
‘BELLADONNA OF SADNESS’ (2017)
‘Belladonna of Sadness’ is Savior’s Debut Album, written and produced by the woman herself, in collaboration with lead singer and front man of ‘Arctic Monkeys’, Alex Turner. Prior to the albums full release, four singles were launched for promotion. These singles were: ‘Shades’, ‘Mystery Girl’, ‘Mirage’, and ‘M.T.M.E’, and these beautifully embody everything that the album and artist represent- a psychedelic, classic feeling, magnetic and raw talent, that is feminine and intimate in style. So far, there have been four official music videos released, all of which are abstract conceptual pieces that are heavily stylised and colourised
‘GIRLIE’ MUSIC VIDEO (2017) Released after the album was the music video for the additional single ‘Girlie’, in just September 2017. The video is set in an array of muted pastel environments that combine natural with very intentional and artificial props and styling choices that portray a youthful feminine paradise.
What is particularly interesting about this video, is that it was filmed on traditional film roll, which, in the words of Savior, ‘[granted] a warmth to the video, which is something I was hoping for. And she is right- the warmth of the images gives a massively retro feel that is reminiscent of early cinema ‘beach party movies’.
Although this video is a concept video in my opinion, there is a clear narrative, just with no traditional narrative structure. This seems to defy what Chomsky declares (we need clear narratives to make sense of and reflect upon our lives), as the video can clearly be understood to tackle themes of insanity, youth, and vanity. Like many other concept videos, this seems to fall more in line with a non-linear, fragmented narrative structure, where meaning is conveyed through codes and signs beyond any traditional storytelling.
HOW DOES THIS INSPIRE AND RELATE TO MY VIDEO? Whilst conducting this research, it has become clearer to me than ever that I have made the right choice in choosing ‘Cupid’ for my music video. Not only does the genre so hugely link to the aesthetic and style of the music video I plan to produce, but the music of Alexandra Savior lends itself entirely to this. I find each and every song on this album so inspiring, and I want there to be a strong link between the music and lyrics on the album, and the video I produce. I hope to achieve this through the following techniques and themes: • Psychedelic visuals, highly colourised, with a hazy almost low quality effect, much like the classic, vintage feel of the instrumentation • A fragmented, non-linear narrative structure as fitting with the almost confusing and spiraling melodies • Femininity throughout the video- just as the album feels feminine and personal To revisit this idea of my video plan fitting the music genre, this research has proven to me just how beautifully the indie subgenre of dream pop combines with these new wave, yet retro feeling, paradisean, pastel coloured visual styles that I enjoy so much.
This is so entirely what the audience of artists like Savior expects to see in music videos, its what they are used to, and what inspires them in the same sense that it inspires me, as is evident from my research into the artist and her album and promotional music videos.