Fiona Grey’s “Money” is all about conquering your vices
In Fiona Grey’s new single “Money” she talks about most of the time, giving into vices only makes things worse.
While touring around Europe Fiona was able to make a stop in the wonderland that is Paris, France. While there her and her director Chase McCurdy decided that revolutionizing the old Yves Saint Laurent campaign was just the edgy move they needed to make. The campaign “Le Smoking” was controversial at the time because it showed female models wearing suits.
Digging deeper into the meaning of this dirty-pop music video, Fiona Grey gives the exclusives. You can stream “Money” at the bottom of the Q&A!
What are you here to tell us about today?
I’m so excited to share my new music video for “Money” which is the latest single off my upcoming EP. The video was shot in Paris in the middle of a pretty exhilarating 6 week tour of Europe. It was a pretty wild trip/tour and I created this with some of my favorite people.
Who’s been the biggest inspiration to you during this process?
Helmut Newton was a huge inspiration for the video. We actually were able to shoot in the famous “Le Smoking” alley that the main photograph of inspiration was shot in.
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Can you explain the component of wearing the suit in the video, why was it so important?
Yeah! In 1975 Helmut Newton did a piece with Yves Saint Laurent called “Le Smoking”. The photograph was a controversial statement he was making about femininity. I really was inspired by the strength and sexuality of a woman in a suit compared to the equal strength of the naked or exposed body.
The alley shots in the high collar Bardot dress were shot in the same location as Le Smoking, and the “morning after” scene walking along the Seine shown in the beginning and end is an ode to the power of a woman in a suit.
What is the key message of your new video “Money”? What do you want people to take away from it?
Sex and drugs play a big part in the backbone of this video, but it’s in no way glamorizing them – it’s more about showing how these vices don’t fulfill you in the ways you want them to. I’ve gone through phases where I’ve used these vices to hide from my own demons, and I only ended up waking up more lost than before.
The song to me was all about the realization that these distractions and vanities aren’t going to fulfill you. It’s the love/hate relationship we have with ourselves.
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Your single has a lot to do with vices, what are your vices?
I run away from my own emotions by attempting to lose myself in different people, if that be romantically or physically. I would be lying if I said I never used a couple gin and tonics to escape from my problem as well!
I think I have vices for different elements of my life that become frustrating. I can lose myself in the company of others and use that as a vice to not deal with my own (real) emotions. I think we’ve all had moments in our life where we have tried to numb any pain with alcohol.
What are the three things everyone should know about this project?
I’m a fully independent artist and proud of it.
I feel more true to myself in my music and on stage than I do in everyday life
My performance is never scaled down for smaller venues, we always go big!
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Have there been any times when you doubted or had second thoughts about “Money”? How’d you overcome that?
I never had doubts about this project, but there were moments where I was so hard on myself that I was afraid to finish it. There comes a time in final tweaks, right before you send to the master, that you need to just stop making changes and trust the work you’ve done.
What’s the best date you’ve ever been on?
Sushi in bed.
If you could eat dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
David Bowie! There are so many things as a kid I always dreamed I’d get to talk about and ask Bowie. That would be a dream.
If someone walked in on you home alone, without you expecting them, what embarrassing act would they catch you in?
Probably naked watching Scandal eating tacos…..
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Where do you hope to be in a year?
I’m currently working on a lot of fashion collaborations. Within the year I’d love to finally have some of the fashion related projects I have been working on finally finished and available for sale. I’m excited for another year of music and for everyone to hear my new EP that comes out this fall. Plus we have more music videos to come!
Photography by Anna Maria Lopez
Directed by Chase McCurdy
Styled by Alexandra Mandelkorn
Hair and MU by Elise Welch
