QUEEN KWONG RECLAIMS HER STRENGTH AND POWER IN SEDUCTIVE AND PROVOCATIVE VIDEO “THE MOURNING SONG”
SONIC RITUAL
“‘The Mourning Song’ is probably the most personal and blunt song on the record, so I wanted the video to be equally as bold and vulnerable,” says the defiantly fearless Queen Kwong a.k.a. Carré Kwong Callaway about her latest single and provocative video. Taken from her universally acclaimed third album, Couples Only (out now via Sonic Ritual), the slinky and empowering track finds Callaway at her most emotionally raw and pointed, exposing herself not as a victim but as the one with the last laugh.
Directed by queer director Tammy Sanchez, the video is sensual and alluring, portraying Callaway as a dancer in an exotic club. “I was a dancer in my early 20’s, and though I felt like it was incredibly empowering. Many people tried to make me feel ashamed for it,” she explains. “This video concept was born as a rejection of that notion. Originally, it was a rejection of shame and the mass cultural gaslighting women endure.”
It’s important to note that the cast and crew were non-male identifying. “Alongside director Tammy Sanchez, a queer, femme visionary, and an all-female and non-binary crew, we removed the male gaze and replaced it with pride,” she explains staunchly. “We shot the video at Hollywood’s famous bikini bar Jumbo’s Clown Room last summer, but its release was delayed because of recent legal action. Now that I’m on the other side of that, this video release means even more to me. It represents women’s power, artistic expression, and refusal to be quiet. It’s time to be fearless and proud.”
Adds director Sanchez, “Shame is a powerful tool used to silence people, especially women. When you factor in race, class, disability, queerness, the baffles become ever more oppressive. These systems rely on our shame and silence to exploit, abuse, and capitalize off of our bodies, art, style, and labor. I’ve chosen to cultivate a safe space for my voice and my collaborators by only working with women and non-binary crew. My voice is queer, femme, non-white, and disabled. A critical perspective, just like Carré’s. And just like her, I am not ashamed and won’t shut up.”
As mentioned above, the video’s release had been delayed by a court case well-documented by Rolling Stone which was ultimately dismissed without merit. Callaway’s statement at the time got to the bottom of it by stating, “This was an act of intimidation via a court system with the intent of disrupting my career and shutting me up. Which, unfortunately, is a common bullying tactic used by people in positions of power to evade accountability and intimidate women into silence.”
A celebration of her record Couples Only, her voice, and female power, “The Mourning Song” is the reclamation of her independence, her strength, and her vision. Described as “a moment of necessary catharsis” (The Line of Best Fit) and “a phenomenal record by an artist at the top of her creative game,” (FLOOD), Couples Only could be pinned as a divorce record, but it’s so much more. A fearless account of facing the worst betrayals and learning to accept devastating loss, it’s the story of Carré’s resounding resilience and unwavering talent.
The resulting record assembles a notable cadre of contributing musician friends including The Cure’s Roger O’Donnell (keyboards), Swanssuzette Kristof Hahn (lap steel) and Blood Red Shoes’ Laura-Mary Carter (backing vocals) who appear intermittently throughout the LP – it’s Carré setting the record straight, and this time around she’s taking no prisoners.
Queen Kwong
Couples Only
(Sonic Ritual)
Release Date: July 12, 2022
Artist Links
Photo Credits: Karin Catt
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