On Wednesday, April 12 Corinne Bailey Rae released the visual for her new single, “He Will Follow You With His Eyes.” Directed by Gregory Berg, the video was filmed in the historic St. George Theater in Staten Island, New York.
The video opens with a vintage advertisement for Sweet Georgia Brown’s Hair Dressing Pomade and continues exploring European beauty ideals set by brands like Valmor in the 1950s. Although operated in the South Side of Chicago by a Jewish husband-and-wife duo, Valmor catered almost entirely to African American consumers with a wide range of products from hair pomades and skin creams to dream books and “magical” curios.
“He Will Follow You With His Eyes” is the third single from Corrine’s fourth studio album, Black Rainbows. Ranging in its themes and bending genres, Black Rainbows is a musical project that includes a collection of songs, a book, live performances, visuals, lectures, exhibitions and more.
Inspired by the artifacts collected by artist and professor Theaster Gates at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago, the project explores themes like Black femininity, Spell Work, the erasure of Black childhood and more. In 2012, he saved the 1923 Stony Island State Savings Bank from demolition and it now serves as a hub or artistic archival and cultural activity on the South Side of Chicago.
In a quote on her official website Corinne said, “Engaging with these archives and encountering Theaster Gates and his practice has changed how I think about myself as an artist and what the possibilities of my work can be.”
Learn more about the project here: https://corinnebaileyrae.com/blackrainbows
Follow Corrine Bailey Rae on Instagram @corrinebaileyrae.