As Yola closes in on the release of her new album, her message and intent to take control of her own life and story grow ever clearer. The music video for the title track, “Stand For Myself,” finds the singer using her own power to find freedom — and, as fans learned on Thursday (July 1), sets the stage for “Starlight,” in which she takes a stand for sex positivity.
Yola explains in a press release that she wants “Starlight” to share a sense of warmth around the idea of finding connection — particularly physical connection — outside of marriage in a social landscape she describes as possessing a sense of “cold heartlessness.”
“It is possible for every stage of your journey in love, sex and connection to be nurturing,” the artist says. The song’s music video offers a peek at what it’s like for her in her current stage: single and dating.
“I’m currently single, yes,” Yola says, “but I’m not neglected or some soulless sex robot.”
Yola’s “Starlight” music video is a slow build to a moment at which she makes a connection with her love interest. There’s lots of romantic up-close shots of Yola looking confident in front of a soft, neon-lit background.
“The volume of media dedicated to showing dark-skinned Black women having a nice, normal time in romantic situations, be it true love or just dating, is still lacking in my opinion,” Yola says, adding, “Temporary or transitory doesn’t have to be meaningless or miserable. In the right situations, every connection can teach us something valuable about who we are, what we want and what is healthy.”
Yola’s full album, Stand for Myself, is due out on July 30.
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