Singer-songwriter Joy Crookes has released her self-directed music video, ‘Power’. The south Londoner’s latest release explores the strength and integrity that the women in her life channel and, at 18 years old, Joy Crookes is able to construct lyrics with this message to women of all ages and backgrounds.
Crookes introduces us to some of the power figures in her life. Crookes’ mother and grandmother feature in the video along with some of her closest friends who appear with their own mothers or sisters. In relation to this, she says:
“It was important for me to make the music video personal to match how I felt and still feel about the song. I wanted to explore the relationship between mother and daughter and women with other women. My lovely mum and grandmother finally agreed to star in the video, after a couple days of negotiating – you can never get a ‘yes’ immediately with Bangladeshi women – as did some of my closest friends with their mothers or sisters.”
Deciding to feature her family members and close friends in the video is a strong display of affection; Joy Crookes is showing us where she finds her strength and encourages us to find power in the people we look up to. We see how Crookes will defend the women in her family, as one lyric suggests; “You’re a man on a mission, but you seem to forget, you came here through a woman – show some fucking respect.”
Crookes told us a bit about the filming process for ‘Power’ and the impact on everyone involved:
“The day we shot the video was extremely emotional for all of us because of the topic of the song and the fact that such a special relationship between mother and daughter was being almost exposed right in front of a camera. I’m so happy with how it all turned out and I really couldn’t have asked for more. On the day I felt like my video team and I had created something really special for us all and each and every one of us related to the video in our very own way.”
This song is a subtle but important reminder of the meaning of a woman’s presence in this world. Crookes writes lyrics that are relatable and succinct with her beautifully strange and honey-toned voice, that drizzles effortlessly through the delicate production, pulling you into her story from the beginning.
‘Power’ is a sophisticated take on the theme of relationships with ideologies of protection, modesty, and vulnerability that a woman experiences throughout her life. The refrain is a mantra we should all repeat, “Can’t take my power, you got nothing on me.”
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