PREMIERE: Marét releases video for new single 'Envy'

Australia’s Marét released her first single ‘Vertigo’ in 2018 which was followed by her self-titled, debut EP the following year. Last week she released her first new music for over a year with the stunningly beautiful electro-ballad ‘Envy’. Today Women In Pop exclusively premieres the music video for ‘Envy’ ahead of its official release. A majestic, emotive and hypnotic one-take video, its presence will keep you compelled to the very last frame. Watch below and then read our interview with Marét to find out more about the song and the video.

Hi Marét! Congratulations on the release of ‘Envy’ it is a stunningly beautiful track. What was the inspiration behind it?
Thank you! I wanted to write a song from my absolute truth, with nothing held back and ‘Envy’ had been calling me for a while to be let out into the world. Honesty has always been my primary operating system and this time I wanted to delve a little deeper into the emotions and mind games that really cause havoc in my life. I find Envy to be one of the most shameful feelings. I don’t come across it in discussions or read about it much. It feels so confessional. There’s a ‘dirty little secret’ aspect about it. I think it’s something everyone has experienced at some point in their lives though, and I think in today’s shiny social media world it is a silent killer of people’s joy. It’s these buried emotions that tend to cause us the most grief. Not only does the emotion feel horrible, but talking about it and sharing it feels horrible. Yet, we all feel these things. We’re human. With this song, I wanted to create something beautiful that talks about something painful. I want to reach out to other people and start a conversation. It is me going to my most vulnerable place, to support others to go to theirs.

The music video is similarly beautiful. First of all, how cold was it while you were filming?!
It was freezing! Minus 2. I was thrilled though. It was so important to me that the video truly reflects the song. The romance of the cold; my breath in the air, the frost on the ground, perfectly captured the icy beauty of Envy. She is enticing! Envy draws us in with promises of happiness and easiness and then traps us with disappointment and self loathing. There is hope in this song though. In the end it is about the triumph over Envy. The cold that day was our adversity to triumph over and I love that I can share that moment in this clip. I did start to lose feeling in my feet by the end!

It is a one-take video, brilliantly done, what was it like to make, did it require multiple stops and going back to the beginning?
I have always been fascinated by two film techniques; slow motion and one take, and I wanted this video to be completely experiential, so they seemed like they would marry perfectly for it. There was a beautiful simplicity in making it. I liked that I really only had one moment to nail it. We filmed it at sunrise, my favourite time of the day, and we had a small window of time in which to capture it with the light we wanted, so all the stars had to align, including me and my performance. We did do multiple takes but I don’t think we ever stopped one. You never know what you might capture in the moment. Sometimes mistakes can be wonderful surprises! They were all pretty incredible actually. The hardest part was choosing the final one.

What was the message or impact you wanted to get across with the video?
I want people to be immersed in Envy and immersed in redemption! I’m inviting the audience to be with me every step of this song, every word. I hope they can allow themselves to connect with their truth and their story around it. When we confess our secrets we are free of their burden.

‘Envy’ is your first single for a good few months, do you have further music coming in 2020?
I sure do! I have a couple of singles coming in the next month - one with a very exciting collaboration! - and a 5 track EP. I’m really excited to share them. It’s my boldest and bravest yet!

How have you been coping through coronavirus lockdown and not having the opportunity to perform your music live?
I was lucky to have an opportunity to perform a live stream concert as part of The Canberra Theatre program CTC@HOME and although it was strange singing to an empty theatre it was wonderful to connect with the live experience again. Focusing on these new releases has definitely been a creative saviour for me during lockdown. It’s been such a shock having our world change so dramatically so quickly, that trying to find the right way to respond or continue on has been challenging. I feel that the collective emotional experience of the situation is inviting us to really connect in any way we can and I’m grateful that we are realising that although the online world has in many ways saved us, nothing will ever replace the joy of real life. I have great hope for the resurrection and renaissance of our arts industries. More than ever we now know how vital they are to humans.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2020?
I have two more singles and the EP dropping in October and another video which I can’t wait to share. In the current absence of touring and live performance opportunities I’m going to be focussing on writing the next offering. I can’t wait until I can jump back onstage and perform these new tracks though. Hopefully soon.

‘Envy’ is out now. You can download on iTunes and stream on Apple Music and Spotify.

To keep up with all things Marét, you can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.