Bronze Avery Is Not Holding Back
Music

Bronze Avery Is Not Holding Back

If that headline is to be believed, Los Angeles singer-songwriter Bronze Avery's track, "Want 2" is definitely a steamy one.

In two and a half minutes of breezy, island-tinged pop, Bronze makes his desires to please and be pleased known. "Swear I got a list of the shit I wanna do," he sings in the refrain.

But Bronze has obviously studied up on the art of seduction, because he keeps things decidedly coy. Rather than going down a laundry list of where, when, and how (and how many times) he wants to please the apple of his eye, he gives chase: "hand on my hand / body to body."

The sizzling bop came out last year, but now it has a visual treatment. Using natural light and the human form, director Shawn Binder and cinematographer Joe DeSantis frame the world of Bronze and a corps of queer dancers, who are giving us their best vintage-but-modern professional dance rehearsal realness — colored tights, graceful choreo, and all.

Perhaps notably, Bronze is the only person of color in the video, which felt like a symbolic and intentional choice. "Representation is important to me," he told PAPER about the video's casting process. "For this video, the focus was showcasing my talent as a Black, queer pop artist. To me, this video shows that queer people of color are pioneering their way to the forefront of pop music, rather than just being cast to fill a racial quota."

Indeed. Bronze confidently leads his corps along to his lyrics, while also catching the eye of his hunky dance instructor. They share a few touch-and-go moments of intimacy, adding to the song's open-ended feeling. What happens when dance class is over? We'll leave you to figure that one out.

Watch the PAPER premiere of Bronze Avery's "Want 2" video, below.

Photography: Justin Gilbert

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