Relationships aren't always perfect. Ask rising pop singer Keni, who knows just how one-sided they can be. Her new music video for "Sid and Nancy," out now, uses a pig-headed doll to show a love affair in need of some serious help.
Keni's takeover is only just starting. The 19-year-old singer from LA has found a way to capture romance in an exciting, fresh way that goes long on some of its most difficult parts. This can be heard on "Sid and Nancy," a track she says is based off her own personal experience.
"When I wrote 'Sid and Nancy,' the only thing I knew about love was that I wanted it," she says. "The intention with this song was not to romanticize a toxic relationship like the one Sid and Nancy had, but to use that as a metaphor for that obsessive, can't live without each other type of love that I was desperately seeking during a certain time."
In the visual for "Sid and Nancy," Keni unpacks six different stages of a tumultuous fling, from the "Honeymoon Phase" to the final "Breakdown." She says Director Aerin Moreno "shot the entire video in my bedroom with just a DP and my two best friends," underscoring the treatment's intimate, DIY feel.
"Sid and Nancy" is the latest from Keni, who has amped up her work during the pandemic. "I feel extremely fortunate that I've managed to stay inspired during such a tense year," she says of the last year. "I've tried to use the limitations of COVID as fuel to be more creative and resourceful."
Continuing on, she credits the people around her for her success. "I have a close knit group of friends that I collaborate with that have helped me to think outside of the box," she says. "Having them has added so much magic to the upcoming music and content that I'm going to be releasing and makes it that much more rewarding."
Watch the PAPER premiere of Keni's "Sid and Nancy" video and stream it, below.
Photography: Coughs