Art as Rebellion: How Barbara Kruger Inspired My First Music Video

When I was gearing up to drop the video for "The Hand You Hold" on International Women’s Day, I knew I wasn't just throwing out another song. I was sending a message, loud and clear. And who better to channel for that than Barbara Kruger with her in-your-face art that hits you like a punch in the gut?

Kruger's got this way of using words and images that just rips into the heart of power, identity and all that heavy stuff. Her art's not just something you look at it's something that grabs you, shakes you and makes you wake up. That's what I wanted for my video.

"The Hand You Hold" isn't just a song it's my middle finger to anyone who thinks they can box me in and tell me who to be. So in the video you see these sharp, bold texts, stark colours which are just like Kruger's style. It's not just for show. Each frame, each word, it's all screaming the same thing: Don't let the world dictate your moves.

My lyrics "Never let the hand you hold, hold you down " they're not just words they're a battle cry inspired by Kruger's own fight against the norms. We've got scenes of me, hands in the air and pushing against constraints with Kruger-esque slogans flashing up. It's meant to make you squirm a bit and think about who's really holding the reins in your life.

This video it's my visual shout against being caged by what's expected, inspired by Kruger's knack for questioning who gets to speak and who gets silenced. It's about feeling that itch and that discomfort that makes you question why we play by rules we never agreed to.

So cheers to Babs Kruger for lighting that fire and for showing me how art can be a weapon. Let's start our own bloody revolution where we're the ones writing our stories and not just living out someone else's script.