Chxrry Just Wants to Have Fun
Ahead of her new album, the Toronto singer makes a night out feel larger than life.
Photos by ANTHONY BALLEW, JASMINE JOHNSON
Following the hype of last year’s viral single “Main Character,” Chxrry steps further into the glitz and glamor of her debut album, U, Me & My Ego. Her latest track, “Hall of Fame,” bottles the feeling of a night you don’t want to end. For the new video, set in LA and directed by Jasmine Johnson, that energy comes to life in the Valley at a house party you’d definitely want an invite to. Below, we catch up with Chxrry to talk the real-life inspo behind her dance-floor ready sound.
What was your starting point for the music video for “Hall of Fame”?
I wanted the video to feel like the song—fun! And honestly, the world was missing an updated party video.
How do you hope it makes people feel?
I want people to feel excitement. For life. For my album. I think having something to look forward to every day is a really euphoric, underrated feeling. There’s so much sad shit going on everyday, I make a point to enjoy life, and I want my music to reflect that.
What references were living in your head while making it?
My real life: It’s a lot of hard work, but I make it a point to enjoy it as much as I can. I was also really into jazz funk when I started thinking about the video. My creative director Juliet [Charlotte] and I kept sending each other all these references online. But I knew I also wanted some ass shaking and burlesque-looking moments in there…like when I’m on the wall with the girls. I just felt like a pop star.
How long did you party for the shoot?
I black out on shoot days…I barely know what’s going on. I think I had one croissant the whole day, but we were shooting for something like 12 to 14 hours overall, and by the time we got to the house, we’d already been going all day. The actual party was a couple hours. We were pushing the clock.
This feels like your most choreographed video yet. What was that like?
At this level, yeah. We’ve done choreography before but honestly, shout out to Mariah Jasmine, my choreographer. She is literally my sister and the realest bitch I know—and the most patient. She knows what I think is cool and what I’m willing to push myself to do, and what I’m like, Fuck no, I’m not doing that.
Did you have a favorite look?
The blue babydoll dress! Juliet has this weird superstition where she knows when something’s going to pop. It was the same with the chain mail dress I wore, which is like 100 pounds. She found it in this sex store in Hollywood. I loved wearing it on the podium with the trophy.
Blue is a theme throughout your visuals. What draws you to it?
It’s like the manifestation of my ego in the project. When Juliet and I were trying to find a color for the album, we were thinking gold but we were also just playing around with metals at the time, like pyrite, which is fool’s gold. Then one day we saw this blue, and it just screamed ego. And no one was doing it yet.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I have ADHD, and I’m allergic to the sun.
What makes a main character?
Confidence.
Watch “Hall of Fame” below: