Grammy-nominated vocalist Khalid has a brand-new album appearing, as well as the first single, “New Regular,” is as smooth as well as breezy as a summer mid-day, which is odd since the video clip that comes with the track is basically a venture capitalist’s dream come true.
The video clip illustrates a futuristic paradise packed with high-rise gardens, independent cars, drone deliveries, and wise houses. Khalid’s video is brimming with actual products from genuine firms, not common versions– a sign that the singer maybe had some input from Silicon Valley in crafting his love letter to our surveillance capitalist headache of a future.
The video shows an advanced paradise filled with skyscraper yards, independent cars, drone shipments, as well as smart residences
You know points are off to an interesting beginning when Khalid, rocking some ill blueish purple hair, rolls up to his house in a robotaxi from autonomous automobile startup Zoox. The company, which is had by Amazon.com, only just introduced the toaster-shaped driverless shuttle last December. It’s not even readily available to the public yet, yet in Khalid’s envisioned future, the road is teeming with Zoox shuttles– and also only Zoox shuttle bus. (I was tipped off to the video clip by a PR rep from Zoox, but have yet to obtain a reply regarding whether the company paid for the item placement.)
As Khalid dancings via the inside of LA’s Bradbury Structure(made popular by Blade Runner, a more reasonable variation of the future), other people are inserting plans right into drones that buzz around the building’s vast atrium. Why are the drones inside the building? Will not they simply strike the skylight? Is there some sort of roof site for the drones that procured set up in spite of the Bradbury Structure’s designation as a national historic landmark in 1977? These and various other concerns go unanswered as Khalid continues to lazily vibrate through the tune.
The vocalist then enters what I can only call a disinfected variation of Korben Dallas’ house in ‘The Fifth Component’
The vocalist after that enters what I can only call a sterilized variation of Korben Dallas’ apartment in The 5th Component (an additional even more exact representation of our disorderly and also punitive future compared to this). The area is barely larger than a storage room, but the wall surfaces are lined with hydroponic plants, which I presume is meant to make us feel better concerning staying in what’s basically a well-lit casket. Khalid utilizes a spray bottle to sprinkle his plants. We still have spray bottles in the future!
Yet perhaps I talked prematurely, because the following shot shows us an automatic watering system turned on by Khalid’s PS5. Again, this raises a lot of inquiries: how far right into the future can this be, if he still has a PS5? Perhaps he enjoys retro gaming consoles? And also why would certainly the PS5 be controlling his water filtering system? Is it now a wise house center? I’m so baffled.
Outside, flocks of knee-high delivery robots jockey for area on the walkway. The marketing team at Starship Technologies have to be kicking themselves over their failure to obtain their brand name in this video clip. Khalid sings into some sort of smart residence panel on his wall, as well as his vocals are sent with the distribution robots apparently. Uncertain exactly how I really feel concerning sidewalk robotics that sing while additionally stomping our toes, but allowed’s carry on.
Just the finest fintech for our guy Khalid.
After that, in what appears to be a particularly shameless moment of product placement, the vocalist from another location spends for something on his wise house panel (for what? it’s uncertain) utilizing Chime, a start-up stated to be worth $14.5 billion. Does any person in fact utilize Chime? Khalid sure does. Who requires the Money app? Just the finest fintech for our guy.
As the video clip relax, we upright the photo of Khalid opening his blinds to see a large billboard outside his home window marketing rocket trips. It’s a little vague what the advertisement is offering. A 90-minute rocket trip to the moon would be really, actually quickly. Most likely too quick for any one of the quasi-realistic tech featured in this video clip. Is it point-to-point business rocket traveling between LA and also New York, in the capillary of Elon Musk’s aborted idea from a couple years ago? If that was the case, 90 mins would certainly be as well long. Is Khalid’s document label, RCA, funding these rocket journeys? Shade me cynical.
Khalid’s unabashed love for Silicon Valley culture should not be that surprising. After all, the singer debuted his solitary “New Normal” during a live efficiency at Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight launch, which sent Virgin Chief Executive Officer Richard Branson to the very side of area. He clearly has a soft spot for big, international companies seeking to alter the textile of our reality.
However while the video clip might be unrestrained in its romantic feelings for Big Technology’s mission to control our lives, the lyrics are actually a little much more nuanced, also kind of defeatist. “Although I can not promise you much/ You’ll be finе, you’ll be fine,” Khalid bellows. I truly wish that turns out to be true.