Madonna, The Weeknd and Playboi Carti live the rich life in the new video for their collaboration “Popular.” The Cliqua-directed clip opens with a close-up of Madonna's glistening grill as she whispers, “I've seen the devil/ Down the sunset/ In every place/ In every face,” while the camera cuts to a shot of a lush hillside and the Weeknd (who now goes by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye) sings through a massive, art-gilded mansion.
After flashing Carti — wearing two Band-Aids across his cheeks, a la rapper Nelly — spilling Solo's red drink near a luxury SUV, the scene cuts to Madonna in a penthouse apartment, reclining on a couch and pointing at the camera with a walking stick. The trio reside in their own luxurious quarters, but never cross paths in New York and Atlanta.
The song was originally released last June as part of the soundtrack release from Tesfaye's trashy HBO musical drama. The idol.
The video debuted after Madonna posted a one-minute clip on Wednesday (February 21) from a visual she shot for a Brazilian bank, in which the pop icon says her place in royal music isn't what you think. “They call me the queen of pop,” the singer says as she walks up the stairs of an ornate mansion in a black coat, thigh-high leather boots and a black mini dress and bustier. “I know it's a compliment, but the monarchy is a thing of the past.”
The 65-year-old singer then claims, “I'm not. I have no age. I'm all ages. It's not about who I am, but how many there are. Count my achievements, not the number of years I have lived on this planet.” Meanwhile, clips from some of her most iconic videos play to a symphonic, groovy version of her 1990 classic 'Vogue'.
“I'm always reinventing myself,” she says, looking straight into the camera, her neck awash in a cascade of pearls – some of which she later spits out of her mouth – while images from her many reboots and classic video appear to flicker. “So that I can continue to be myself. I think the most controversial thing I've ever done is stay. I have seen many stars appear and disappear, like shooting stars. But my light will never go out.”
Watch Itau Unibanco's “Popular” video and promo clip below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/madonna-the-weeknd-playboi-carti-popular-video-1235612536/
