Written by Elsa V. and Vonnie H.

What a year, huh? We can speak for everyone when we say it was eventful, especially when it comes to media. To start the year, we gathered our favorite music videos by female artists. They might not be objectively the best, but to our eyes, they are. Without further ado, here’s the nine videos that caught our attention the most.

Anxiety by Doechii

Directed by James Mackel

“Anxiety” was first posted on YouTube as a live demo. After it became viral on social media and no one could escape it online anymore, we finally got an official recording in April. That along with one of the best music videos of the year. 

It starts with the camera going through a window into what looks like a perfect replica of Doechii’s bedroom from the original video. We can see her unease at the intrusion. We are then taken on long takes with multiple symbols and references that leave us on edge. Movers carrying Doechii carelessly like a piece of furniture,people running around the house in a frenzy… There are also references to other anxiety-inducing works: two twins dressed like they came straight from “The Shining” hanging out on the sofa or people sitting at a table in the background and smiling creepily at the camera like in the 2022 horror movie “Smile.” One of the scenes also shows us two people that fade with a mural on a wall, a direct reference to the iconic music video of the song “Somebody that I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra— from which the instrumental was sampled.

From there, everything keeps repeating on loop, imitating the feeling of spiraling while being in the middle of an anxiety attack. When Doechii finally escapes the house, she’s in a very vulnerable state, in her underwear on the street— a recurring nightmare for a lot of anxious people. There, she joins all sorts of people including workers in their uniforms dancing. A lighter scene to remind us that everyone in society can be touched by an anxiety disorder and that sometimes it’s good to shake it off collectively, with good music for example.

Good Boy by Paris Paloma

Directed by Georgie Cowan-Turner

Paris Paloma is well-known for her feminist anthem “labour” that resonates with women all around the world. With “Good Boy”, she confirms her stance against patriarchy. The song draws a strong parallel between obedient men sacrificing everything for their career as well as their peers’ approval and guard dogs. 

Starring actor Tom Blyth (seen in the last Hunger Games universe addition as young President Snow) and the singer herself, the music video expresses this idea perfectly. One of the most visually-striking scenes shows Tom Blyth acting like a dog in a meeting setting while Paris Paloma acting as an allegory for Patriarchy is laughing and applauding. The editing enhances this idea by rapidly switching with images of dogs barking. This parallel comes back during a chase scene at the end of the music video. It alternates between other men hunting the “good boy” and real dogs. Another symbolic scene shows the “good boy” going up a flight of stairs leading nowhere. He is chasing an unattainable goal and embodying the lyrics “They told him it’s a staircase, it’s a tower” from the chorus.

While not being the most subtle music video in this list, the acting and excellent directing make it all work and we are really looking forward to what Paris Paloma will bring us next. 

REBEL HEART by IVE

Directed by Oui Kim

K-pop is well known for its perfectly crafted and high budget music videos. As one of the top girl groups, IVE never disappoint in this area. With their song REBEL HEART, they offer a true celebration of girlhood. 

Each member depicts a different side of what it feels like to be a girl. It’s not always easy. Heartbreak, rage and the fear of being misunderstood are symbolized by An Yujin’s scenes— in the night outside in front of a car, keeping the driver from leaving, screaming and dancing while mostly only illuminated by red lights. Jang Wonyoung, wearing a veil and a white dress in front of a playground set on fire, represents the loss of innocence and the suffocating social pressures women face— like impossible beauty standards and marriage. Leeseo is seen escaping school, which she doesn’t seem particularly thrilled about. She looks lost and lacking direction. She ends up coming back to cry in the arms of one of her classmates during the bridge of the song.

On the brighter side, Liz shows a more relaxed, positive and creative outlook of being a girl as she hangs out in her pink bedroom to cuddle with pets, take selfies and design content on her computer. Rei exudes confidence and style while taking the subway and walking through the city, dressed in a vibrant blue suit and a tiara with flashy blue eyeshadow. Finally, Gaeul expresses self-love, looking unbothered while exploring an abandoned building— sheltering herself from the world under an umbrella, writing what translates to “Let’s not hate each other, I love you” on a mirror and drawing a heart on a wall. 

Many other faces are featured in the music video, showing different expressions of femininity— from skater girls and boxers to idols and TikTok dancers. Friendship and sisterhood are celebrated in the lyrics: “Without any reasons / Sometimes we just need each other / We know exactly what that feels like” and on screen with girls holding hands, hugging, dancing, running around and laughing together. Accepting yourself despite what others think (“Gonna pour my heart out, I won’t be afraid / Just gonna be me”) is a recurring theme in IVE’s discography. In a suffocating world, maybe that’s what being a true rebel means.

The Subway by Chappel Roan

Directed by Amber Grace Johnson

Your favorite artist’s favorite artist came back in 2025 with the long-awaited music video for “The Subway”. First debuted live at New York’s Governor’s Ball Festival in June 2024 with Roan dressed as the Statue of Liberty, it became an instant fan favorite.

The main adjective to describe this masterpiece? Hairy. Roan brings us to New York City and is first seen walking the street wearing a gigantic wig covering her entire body— reminiscent of Cousin Itt from the Addams Family. The first lines of the song are “I saw your green hair / Beauty mark next to your mouth / There on the subway / I nearly had a breakdown”. In the crowd, Roan spots another girl covered entirely in green hair and she starts chasing her but she is not fast enough and she loses her in the subway. This introduction embodies the whole theme of the song. In this music video, lyrics are literally translated on screen. When Roan sings “It’s never over / ‘Til I don’t look for you on the staircase / Or wish you thought that we were still soulmates”, we see her on the fire escapes of a typical New York building, looking in the distance and yearning for her ex, a modern Rapunzel with really long ginger hair.

The music video pays homage to the Big Apple, its iconic spots and its culture. When Roan takes a typical yellow taxi cab, her long hair gets stuck in the door and she gets dragged through the street. The Green Lady of Brooklyn is seen taking the subway, making her think of her ex. Falling asleep, Roan dreams of partying with drag queens and other queer performers (New York being well-known for its ball culture). Less glamorous, rats are seen venturing in a sea of ginger hair with only Roan’s face and arms peaking out and trash gets caught in Roan’s hair as she is riding a bike around the city. 

In a climatic scene during the chorus, singing “She got away”, Roan is now rocking a short bob. If you are chronically online like me, you probably already read the theory that hair holds memory. Is it Roan’s way of saying she is moving on? In the meantime, every lesbian who is not over their ex will relate to the Midwest princess crying while soaking wet in the iconic Washington Square Park Fountain.

Tears by Sabrina Carpenter

Directed by Bardia Zeinali

With “Tears,” Carpenter continues to show her talent as an actress. Beginning with a car wreck and an eerie atmosphere in the dead of night, the camera pans to Carpenter’s silhouette where she seemingly landed in the grass. Her outfit is a colorful baby blue, a wink towards her previous era, Short ‘n Sweet. As she hears a suspicious laugh, she turns her head towards what seems to be an abandoned house. She heads towards the house as a storm brews; which is when the first notes of “Tears” begin to play. 

Peering through a boarded window, she sees a room where someone is putting on fishnets as they face a vanity full of make up. Carpenter’s face, which was obscured by the night until now, is in fuchsia hues due to the room. She drops her white hat, white being the symbol of purity and modesty, and heads inside. There she meets a self-playing piano, and a stranger played by Colman Domingo. He dances with her to the tune then gently pushes her into another room, where a crowd of people in drag are waiting. 

As soon as that happens, we understand that Carpenter’s inspiration is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a film where an innocent couple ventures into a house and are transformed by the meeting of Rocky, which unveils their (sexual) desire. Slowly, Carpenter loses her clothes by long nailed hands as she explores various rooms of the house. She performs a sensual dance on a pole and on a stage in lingerie, cheered on by Domingo’s character. 

With this video, Carpenter perfectly embodies the 80s vibes. She tells a story of welcome and celebration by the queer community, who slowly allow her to shed her inhibitions and become who she is— a confident woman who knows what she wants. The decision to represent the characters in drag is also an allyship move towards the increasingly transphobic laws of the United States, which is further proof with her VMA performance which features drag queens and “Protect The Dolls” signs on stage.

The best part is how this doesn’t come off as performative or out of the blue for Carpenter. She manages to make the story part of her brand with the ending where her boyfriend, who seemed dead in the beginning, shows up alive. She throws a stiletto and impales him in the chest as she recognises her tradition of killing men in her music videos. Not only is the music video impactful, it is also hilarious. 

Hampstead by Ariana Grande (part of brighter days ahead)

Directed by Christian Breslauer and Ariana Grande

“Hampstead” begins with dark shadows which assemble to make the pub, one of the key places in the video. From the start, we are drawn into the story as the evocativeness and the poetry capture our attention. She sets the scene as the point of view enters the pub through the window. That approach instead of going through the door confirms that we are the watchers, we only see what happens in Grande’s life through a tinted window until she lets us into her mind with her artistry. 

A man sits at the bar with a pumping heart wrapped in fabric. He takes out his compass, where a picture of young Grande resides. The glass holding the picture in place is cracked on the borders, but the middle is untouched. We can still see who it is, which means that this version of herself is still retrievable. The man looks towards the piano at the back of the pub and sees himself give that locket to his daughter pictured in the photo. The music stops when he tries to play a few notes, but can’t touch the piano due to the deep wound caused by memories. 

The image fades to black, after which we see the man in a new dilapidated location. He looks through ruins as she sings the first line of the track, “I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead.” The symbolism of the beginning becomes clear. The man finds a brain, which he collects and goes back to Brighter Days Inc., a company that erases memories. The curtains are drawn and the place seems like it closed a long time ago. 

If it wasn’t clear by the collecting of body parts that this music video was inspired by Frankenstein, it becomes evident when he turns the lights on and reveals a research lab. It is filled with pages and pages of research, showing that what he’s doing is close to impossible. In Frankenstein, the scientist defies all by creating life beyond death. That is the case here too. 

In order to revive her, he searches for a music box and sets these big speakers around her. He creates a set up of transmitting music, with microphones and the speakers and the biggest factor, the piano. He plays it which causes electricity to get through to Grande. The music begins again with momentum, showing the painful process of coming back to life. Her salvation was the music. 

When Grande opens her eyes, the image switches to color. She gets up as her dad watches her with astonishment. We then see the both of them at a later time singing and playing the piano together. He cut his hair, shaved his beard and is wearing new clothes— bringing his daughter to life somehow brought him back too. Grande still has the scars of the assemblage, but she is alive. 

For someone who has gotten so much media attention and speculation, Grande is reclaiming the narrative with “eternal sunshine: brighter days ahead.” The cinematic techniques she uses tell an exquisite story of destruction at the hands of someone else’s point of view and heartache, then revival by her loved ones and music. 

CUNTISSIMO by Marina

Directed by Olivia de Camps

Opulence and refinery is what define “CUNTISSIMO” from the first shots. A beautiful lake, followed by flowers mimicking still life, then an expensive room where things are broken. Everything about this says richness, except when we see Marina with a group of women, they are clearly breaking and entering this estate. Already there, a commentary on society’s view of those that don’t fit the norm: you might lock the door, but we’ll break in. A powerful statement when women’s and minorities’ rights are being taken away every day. 

It is a word play on the Italian “cantissimo,” an extremely loud and expressive way of singing. Marina’s hair inspiration is Marie Antoinette, the last French queen before the revolution put an end to the monarchy. She also wears a lot of outfits, each more extravagant than the other. She reminds us that we still have the power to take down systems. The location is used from every side— the balcony, the pool, the room we saw in the beginning. The disregard for the property is representative of the destruction of capitalism. The lyrics are all about knowing your worth, and that isn’t defined by money. 

By her side, Marina has various types of women, of different ages, ethnicities, etc. and they each get their moment to shine. She shows the power lies in unity, and our differences make us striking. A pillow fight takes place, which is a celebration of girlhood and rejection of the capitalist system of working to death. Instead, they show women having fun.

Marina wears a puffy white dress which one of the women sprays “P.O.P” on— a wink towards her latest album, PRINCESS OF POWER. In this video, she gains the princess status by taking it herself and revels in her power.  

Each shot in “CUNTISSIMO” is awe-inspiring, and each shot is edited to perfection with the rhythm of the song. On a first look it might seem innocent, but when you look closer, the strong message of resistance jumps out.  

Muse by SOFIA ISELLA 

Directed by SOFIA ISELLA and Jasper Pagan

Sofia Isella’s brand is all about disturbing the comforted and comforting the disturbed— this is no exception, only a masterclass inside the mind of a tortured artist. “Muse” begins in an abandoned building as a signal of a forgotten matter, with flies flying around as they symbolise death and decay. We slowly descend to the ground, where there’s a body, portrayed by Isella, wrapped in half a white sheet. We see the body from the back and that there’s a cord coming from Isella’s back. 

Its resemblance is to an umbilical cord. It creates an interesting contrast given the umbilical cord ties mother and child at birth, but here, the artist uses it to signify a darker narrative, filled with death. This is further confirmed by another Isella apparition that looks half alive with a mysterious liquid pouring from her head as she lays on a low table. 

The song refers to a “her” — this mysterious figure that we suppose is feeding on her life. The next image is of Isella in a bathtub as a dragonfly flies into her hand. Dragonflies represent transformation, change and adaptability, all subjects that keep coming back. She looks towards the camera as the insect flies away. She closes her fist once the insect is gone, as if she is trying to delay or stop this transformation, but it’s too late. We then see her crawling up the staircase. She struggles to get up there, a wind seeming to keep her from leaving, which could be a metaphor about her resistance to change. 

We see the cord taut, then the body we witnessed in the beginning awake. The “Muse” has escaped and is now walking on a field in circles. We see this same version put an end to the infinite walking as we hear “I put a pen to paper, I hold her like she’s a gun.” An interpretation is that’s the visualization of the creative block, which she destroys with a performance, effectively symbolizing her prioritizing the “Muse” over herself for the sake of art.

There’s an interesting focus on her hands, the means of creation themselves. They are often shot close, as if our protagonist doesn’t believe what they’re capable of doing. They can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Through a scream, we see one version of Isella destroying everything in the transformation. A thunderous night accompanies her. We realize later as she sings “When her work is complete, her masterpiece on the stage” that the lights weren’t lightning, they were camera flashes. 

The original version of her that we see in the beginning follows the cord and arrives in the field where she sees a bigger, darker version towering over her. This goddess-like symbol beckons her to approach. In the end, she holds hands with this other version. “Muse” tells the story of sacrificing oneself for the creative pursuit, and everything that it brings— notably fame. It’s a dual commentary on the blessing and curse nature of being an artist.

Us Three by Charlotte Lawrence

Directed by Aiden Magarian 

The video begins with Lawrence on a sunny balcony, watering flowers in a white summer dress. The innocence of the scene is palpable and contrasts the crude lyrics (“It’s too late to say goodbye / One more fuck to say goodnight / A little bit rough, the way she likes, I know”). We slowly zoom out to see a residential building, and our three characters sitting each on a different one, diagonal to each other. Lawrence is in the middle of this, between her partner and the other woman. Each of them are minding their business, seemingly an idyllic scene, until we zoom even further back and we realize that we’re watching this through a window. 

The window is the one of Lawrence’s apartment, and we return to the same scene with her on the balcony. The window could symbolise a detachment from the dream scenario, where she is “enough” (“Try and explain why I’m not enough to heal all the pain every time you suffer”) for her significant other, and this other woman does not belong in their relationship. When we zoom further back, this second time isn’t exactly the same as the first— Lawrence’s outfit changed from a white dress to a plain white tee and jeans, showing the idealized version was only in her imagination. It could also signify how she gave up trying to impress their partner as she found out they were seeing someone else. 

Our landscape also changes, with the fall of the leaves. It’s a time marker of the seasons change, and as we move further back, we see her partner with the woman on his balcony. With the lyrics “You’re lying,” we move onto the next scene the same way we transitioned from the first. 

This time, there is no more light outside. The flowers are dead, the sun is gone, and Lawrence wears a black dress paired with a red lipstick that is reminiscent of a funeral. As we listen to the words, we know she’s still trying to convince herself there is no attachment between the one she loves and the other woman. 

Lawrence’s performance is incredible as well. She goes from delusion to acceptance, and everything in her expressions and body language shows the process. Zoom out and we realize she is now alone in the frame. The other two are no longer part of her life, but she is still in the same place, showing the lack of moving on. The last chorus begins as rain pours down, tentatively at first then harsher. Everything from her vocal performance to the shot shows she is no longer in denial and it is as if the emotions wash over her. 

For the first time since the beginning, we zoom in. We see her reveling in the rain, accepting the emotions she ignored until then, and processing them through screaming at the sky. It’s a phenomenal representation of processing emotions when facing betrayal from someone you loved and trusted, that ends with Lawrence staring into the camera as we see what this heartbreak has taken from her. 

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