Velours delves into romantic obsession with her enchanting new single and video Whatever That Means — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
In this followup to her debut EP Identity, the bilingual Saskatchewan pop singer-songwriter tackles the push-pull of infatuation — “She likes to sing along at shows / I’d like to burn all of her clothes,” she sings of her crush. “I don’t talk about her / Until she’s driving me nuts / I never loved her / Unless she hated my guts.”
“I wrote Whatever That Means entirely on my bed, in one night. Similarly, it was recorded entirely in my mom’s bedroom,” she says. “This song, both through its lyrics and melody, as well as its themes, was inspired by male-fronted bands. A lot of my favourite bands like The Killers, The 1975 and Smashing Pumpkins have all used the symbol of a young woman as a muse in many of their songs.
“I have been so intrigued by how women have always been viewed as muses and objects of desire ever since the Hellenistic period, and I totally get it. We are very enthralling. But, instead of just writing a song about a nameless girl who’s usually 17 years old, I wanted to dissect not only how women are written in songs (particularly by male artists), but also how authentic the poetry of admiring and lusting after someone can be. Even the title being Whatever That Means shows how there isn’t really a true definition of what these feelings actually mean.”
Her colourful lyrics are matched by the ambitious cinemtography of the video, which places Velours in more than 40 visually inspiried settings. “We knew that this concept was going to be immense work to execute but would be perfect for the song’s themes, as well as just being an insanely cool video,” she says. “Some shoot days were 14 hours straight, with every shot taking at least an hour to capture. From all the gorgeous makeup, our fantastic sets, and super fun outfits, I can’t wait for everyone to experience what we’ve created … The concept that it’s all of these moments running through this girl’s mind as she fantasises in her bedroom adds another level to Whatever That Means and how each moment carries a unique emotion and beautiful thought in the song.”
Velours’ musical fantasies became a reality following a brief stint living in Vancouver. Shortly after, she penned her 2019 debut single Tell Me. Her Identity EP — featuring the singles Summer Haze, Your Sweater and more — displayed the strength of her vocal agility and lyrical prowess. Early nominations for her debut effort include nominations at the Saskatchewan Music Awards for Rock/Pop Artist and Best Music Video.
Watch Whatever That Means above, hear more from Velours below, and keep up with her on her website, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
