Vocal powerhouse Mary J. Blige joins Euro pop duo Disclosure on its second music video for “F For You,” off its Grammy-nominated debut album Settle. After re-recording the original track with Blige, the group chose to release a new, revamped video for it, too.
Visually, it looks something like a mix between an iTunes gift card-neon-colored backgrounds and black dancing silhouettes-and a hipster’s notebook, with white sketches of faces and hand drawn lyrics all over everything. Half-animated and half live-action, “F For You” features Blige breaking out disco moves, while graphics of the Disclosure brothers, Guy and Howard Lawrence, cut in and out of the scenes. Lines from the song, in quirky-cool fonts, flash in each frame. The result is trendy and energetic. It’s artistic, fun.
Like the music video, the remix of the song is also a step up from its first version. Blige’s soulful sound adds a retro vibe to Disclosure’s generally EDM-based style, making the track seem fuller, warmer, and more layered. The R&B diva’s voice empowers “F For You”-it pumps it with passion and transforms even its stock club sound bites into something of an anthem.
Disclosure performed the song with Blige in New York last week, exciting fans about the surprised collaboration. And now that the video is officially out, there’s little denying that this decision to work together was a good one.
