METTE’s homecoming on ‘Mama’s Eyes’

METTE is a superstar in the making. Scratch that; this phrase is simply not accurate. METTE was born a superstar, and her triple-threat stardom has no limits. On the critically acclaimed single ‘Mama’s Eyes,‘ METTE sonically delves into “mothering” and her artistic identity.

“I just wanna be dancing again,” the Minnesota native singer leads with the euphoric and liberating announcement. For METTE, before any words were said, dance was her first language and on ‘Mama’s Eyes,’ she is guided by movement; performing fierce, dynamic choreographies, in parallel with her chilhood videos.

Built on her previous pop cultural landscapes, METTE is no stranger to our screens as she is the standout star of N.E.R.D. and RIhanna’s hit track ‘Lemon’ with a dance performance you cannot ignore. She was also a long-standing member of Pharrell’s dance troupe ‘The Baes’ and starred as Justice alongside J Lo in ‘Hustlers.’

To achieve a universal appeal, director Camille Summers-Valli (Nike/ Adidas/ Burberry/ Gucci/ Versace/ Hermes/ British Vogue) expands the song’s coming-of-age story with archival footage, displaying METTE as a child versus a full-fledged artist, connecting movement, emotion, and language.

METTE says: ‘Mama’s Eyes music video is a celebration of my beloved artist journey… It’s a window into my coming of age story – how I’ve found music, dance, and performance to be an outlet of self expression and a divine sense of belonging. The richness of this visual is in its abstraction of the song’s theme of “mothering”… dance is fundamental for me because movement is the first language I learned as a child and has played such a vital role in my personal and professional development. Performing movement to my lyrics and vocals was a homecoming of sorts. Being a subject of Camille’s brilliant directorial leadership, through her lens I found a sense of kinship with my inner child and the artist I am today’.

Camille Summers-Valli adds: Mama’s Eyes came out of a desire to make something that felt universal, with soul and purpose to honour the track. The song spoke to me on so many levels. I was also instantly drawn to METTE. Her mind, art, her movement and her body was such an incredible canvas to create from together. Secondly, it’s a coming of age song, it’s a journey from childhood to adulthood, it’s an ode to mothers. The desire to create a universal experience made me want to expand the film to archival footage. Something we can see ourselves in. Hours of scanning archival allowed Vid Price, the editor and I, to create these wonderful cuts that connect movement, emotion and language. Finally, Mette’s personal archives tied it all back together to a really personal place. It’s at once intimate and omnipresent. The film is a journey from the constrained body to the free one, from control to liberation, from conception all the way to release. Everything in the video is packed full of meaning, metaphor and symbolism. It’s the kind of video that upon revisiting, you discover more layers. Just like life itself.