Exclusive Premiere // SUMif 'Body' Music Video

If you don't know SUMif, get ready to fall in love with her dancey, vibrant sound + electric energy. After obsessing over her EP Pretty Cage, released earlier this year, we're so stoked to bring you a first look at her music video for Body. + we caught up with Steph Wells, the mastermind behind SUMif, on the making of the vid.

Asymmetric Magazine: We love the minimalism, use of color and choreography in the video for Body. How did this concept come about?
Steph Wells: Thank you! I had been watching Hayley Kiyoko's Curious video on repeat when I got the first mix back of Body, and thought 'damn, I wonder if I could pull off a choreographed dance for the chorus...' Then when I sent the song to my friend Luke, he said unprompted, 'you and I are doing a choreographed dance to the chorus for the music video'. So, I figured if we both had the same idea, we had to make it happen. We both love Robyn's Call Your Girlfriend video, so we used that as the jumping off point for the vibe of the video.

AM: We noticed it aligns with your use of color on the album art for each of the singles Body, Disco Love, Say and Love Shop. How do your visuals parallel your sound?
SW: My music is too fun and dancey to keep with an all-black aesthetic, so to keep it interesting and make it feel more on brand with the music, I love to add in color in very specific ways. When I play live shows, I always wear black, but I also wear colorful LED shoes and have my LED logo on stage. I think my music sounds colorful, so I try to be intentional with it and use color to help bring the songs to life.

AM: What themes do you typically pursue through your music?
SW: The theme of my most recent releases and the theme of my upcoming EP is freedom–whether it be sexual freedom or freedom from a toxic relationship or freedom from social situations where you feel trapped. I hope this collection of songs make the listener feel free. I hope they make people want to move outside of their comfort zones. 

I hope this collection of songs make the listener feel free. I hope they make people want to move outside of their comfort zones. 

AM: How do your latest singles compare to your EP Pretty Cage?
SW: I think they are a nice evolution of my music. Some of the songs from the Pretty Cage EP, I wrote in 2015/2016, so I'm excited about my latest singles and upcoming releases having an evolved sound, especially since I'm collaborating with more writers and producers these days.

AM: What other musicians/artists are currently inspiring you?
SW: Scandinavian pop is my one true love. All things Tove (Lo + Styrke), Dagny, Anna of the North, Sigrid–to name a few.

AM: What can we expect to hear (and see!) from you next?
SW: I'm looking forward to releasing new singles in the coming months and another EP by the end of the year.

// listen to pretty cage here:

// video by Steph Wells: Director, Nick Testa: Cinematographer/Editor, Luke Henesy Anderson: Dancer, Annemarie Estess: Choregrapher
// photos courtesy of Tallulah MGMT
// Listen to more SUMif on Spotify + SoundCloud.