Espa Pray For Me Video Square
The work of small but excellent catalog of Espa defies easy classification. It seems the UK vocalist thrives on toeing the line between electronica, house, R&B and vintage soul territories, a kind of genre ambivalence that was showcased in full force on her latest single "Pray For Me." A house cut with unexpected grooves, a dance song that's smart enough to linger in your mind and not just your tapping toes, "Pray For Me" is the second single off of Espa's upcoming LG60 EP.
And now, the track has received a dazzling and surreal video treatment. In its official video we see rainbow nebulae, outer space icebergs, geodesic designs and the vocalist's own floating head, bedazzled with jewels and crooning out infectious melodies. Espa herself has a keen visual eye and was reportedly behind much of the clip's stylings (she was the brains behind the official "Pray For Me" single artwork as well), and has stressed in the past that the song is a trip through the experience of hitting rock bottom, getting up and finding a new way to thrive.
With influences including Jimi Hendrick, Erykah Badu and Madonna, Espa has clearly found a way to synthesize a wide array of sounds and bring them to bear in a form that's wickedly fun, smart and truly novel--all at the tender age of 23. Her new video (which truly plays out as a fever dream film) was made by Sudio Moross and is one of the more impressive visual collages of images we've seen in recent memory. Watch it in full below.
