WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | DECEMBER 31, 2021 - JANUARY 6, 2 | 21
LISTEN UP
Favorite New England music videos of 2021 Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
It seems like there were fewer music videos by local and locally-tied artists this year, probably because of the pandemic, but the ones that did come out were excellent, and many of them were extremely intense. That’s OK. It was a good year for music to refl ect some of the strong emotions most of us are feeling these days. It was diffi cult to limit myself to just 10 favorites, but these are the ones that stayed with me the longest. Note: Some of these videos contain adult language and imagery. “Mysterious Maiden,” by K’Nen & Jafet Muzic: “Mysterious Maiden” was the fi rst offering from the collaborative hip-hop ensemble, Stanton Capitol Records, which centers on K’Nen, Jafet Muzic and Danny Fantom. Here, K’Nen and Jafet deliver a love letter to hiphop, and the parts of the music that they feel are near in danger of being lost. The video itself captures images of the artists and their friends which seem joyous on the surface, but there’s something about shooting the video in black and white that casts a shadow on the music, accenting lyrics such as, “It’s my soul we used to play the ciphers off the tip-top ‘til dawn/Yeah baby I’m gone.” The sense of something fading into memory is palpable. “Run Away” by Ralph Weah”: Worcester-native hiphop artist Ralph Weah manages to capture and intensify the heat of his song “Run Away” with this brightly lit video. It’s a song that captures the push and pull of a disintegrating video, driven by a sizzling beat visuals that contrast the persona’s distress against images of what are at fi rst clearly
Zola Simone. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
pleasant memories. It’s a beautifully shot video, one that makes the heartbreak at the song’s core just a little more painful. “Not Like Other Girls,” by Zola Simone: The 18-year-old rising star from the Boston area Zola Simone absolutely crushed it with her debut album, “Now You See Me,” and a lot of the qualities that make her so magnetic can be found in this video: A youthful pop sensibility, a sense of honesty in the music that leaves it open to the listener, and a biting wit: “She reeked of privilege and Urban Outfi tter’s perfume … you’re not like other girls/ you’re worse.” The video wellpackages those qualities and gives the listener a glimpse of what’s making this young artist so exciting. “My Baby,” by Abbie Cotto: The video starts with an absolutely hilarious skit of the Worcester R&B singer being shut down hitting on a woman in an elevator (note: don’t do this in real life), before transitioning to more steamy – honSee VIDEOS, Page 22
Stanton Capitol Records artists, from left, Jafet Muzic, Danny Fantom and K’nen. CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Abbie Cotto.
A still from the music video “Run Away,” by Ralph Weah.
PHOTO/PAUL ROCHETTE
RALPH WEAH
