FKA Twigs Dangles by Hair Bondage-Style in ‘Pendulum’ Video
Rising avant-pop singer FKA Twigs gets tangled and tied in her own hair in the beautiful, surreal new video for “Pendulum,” a highlight off the U.K. artist’s debut album, LP1.
Twigs also directed the clip, which opens on a close-up of her lips before the camera twists away to reveal her hanging from the ceiling, tied, according to a press release, in Japanese-style bondage known as shibari. Twigs’ tied-up poses are delicate, but rife with tension near its breaking point, and the singer explains, “using my own hair represents me at one time being suspended and held back by my own fears.” Liberation does come, however, with Twigs emerging from a digitally viscous substance, and dancing and stomping through the video’s final minute, her hair flying wildly free.
Incidentally, B&D played an interesting role in the artist’s career. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she revealed that she first met her label’s A&R rep “at some bondage party.” She went on to say, “Then over the next two months, he wouldn’t leave me alone. I thought, ‘OK, this guy is kind of persistent. Maybe I should go in the studio with him.”
FKA Twigs recently closed out her break-out 2014 with a sold-out North American tour, while LP1 landed on several best-of lists, including Rolling Stone’s. The singer has a handful of international tour dates lined up for 2015, but will return to the U.S. in April for performances at Coachella.
In an interview with Rolling Stone last fall, the artist spoke about her rising star status, but also noted she has little interest in fame and would love to score films or direct videos for other artists in the future. “I’m not thirsty,” FKA Twigs said. “I’m not a pop star. I don’t want to reign over all forever…. I don’t want to be famous! It makes me feel sick, the thought of being a famous person. It’s just not me.”