(Photo: Screenshot by WTF, YouTube)
From Beyonce to Lily Allen, female pop artists have been using music videos as a forum to critique cultural pressures of perfection. Now, up-and-comer Christina Perri tackles the subject in her new video for “Human.” Watch it here or below.
The “Thousand Years” singer-songwriter, Christina Perri draws directly from the lyrics of “Human” for its video, opening with her standing on a starkly lit platform that highlights her bionic body parts. As Perri sings “I can turn it on / be a good machine,” her face reveals vulnerability and sadness as the lyrics continue to point to her struggle: “I can hold the weight of worlds, if that’s what you need.” She gathers her strength alone, finally stepping off the platform and transforming into her real skin. Perri’s tattoos appear as she walks proudly and belts the chorus: “But I’m only human / and I bleed when I fall down / I’m only human / and I crash and I break down.”
“Human” is the first single off Perri’s second studio album, “Head or Heart,” out March 11. The album’s tracklist, below the video, includes a duet with Ed Sheeran called “Be My Forever.”