If you've spent any time reading music magazines, you've probably heard the simile that a singer has a voice "like pouring honey." But have you ever seen a singer actually attempt to perform while having honey poured all over them? Boston-born, London-raised Kenzie May is about to change your answer: in her startling one-take video above, she performs a piano-led version of her tumultuous love song "Honey," while the stuff itself pours into her eyes and mouth. It quickly turns from something delicate and beautiful into something difficult and kind of gross—which is exactly the point she's making about relationships.
The messy visual was inspired by a quote from Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis: "Once, I saw a bee drown in honey, and I understood." As Kenzie explained to The FADER over email, "I think the duality of love makes it difficult to control; it’s beautiful and then it’s also devastating, so sometimes no matter how hard we try, we end up burying ourselves and each other. Harry [Cauty, co-director] and I wanted to create a visual that mirrored that struggle.
"We shot most of it in one take, the vocals were recorded live—I guess I wanted to make life difficult for myself because I kept taking in mouthfuls, and at the end of it my nose and mouth were covered, so I couldn't really breathe—but imagine drowning in honey. I know all relationships have their issues, and we can try to cover them up and keep going, but even drowning in love is still drowning."