Although we can't gather in clubs, Melanie C, formerly Sporty Spice of the ever-iconic Spice Girls, has been pumping out massive party tracks. "Into You," lifted off the deluxe edition of her 2020 self-titled album, is an explosive four-to-the-floor single, and its accompanying music video puts the pop singer front and center. "I love this track," Melanie C says. "It makes me want to throw myself around the dance floor."
The "Into You" visual casts Melanie C alone in neon-colored washes and multi-patterned lights. Stylist and director Graham Cruz is behind the treatment, saying they "shot the video in a simple black space with dynamic lighting setups to evoke the feeling of club dance floors. It's all about Melanie getting lost in the music, dancing with pure abandon."
Having now collaborated with Melanie C on several projects, Cruz says she's the "hardest working performer" he's ever met. "From the moment she hits the set, she is on and serving hard," Cruz adds, which is why he felt confident fitting an ambitious number of lighting setups with outfit changes for each in a single-day shoot. Cruz "knew Melanie would deliver on every single take."
Melanie C is styled in a mix of high fashion — Mugler, David Koma, AREA — with some emerging designers, from Paula Knorr to DNAME. "The fashion looks are some of the most revealing we've ever seen Melanie in," Cruz says. "From the body-hugging silver Mugler look to the high-cut Agent Provocateur bodysuit, I wanted pieces that would highlight Melanie's incredible dance moves and mind-blowing physique."
For Spice Girls fans, Cruz slipped in nods to Sporty Spice's trademark looks. Her iconic ponytail, for example, has been reinvented in the form of AREA's crystal headpiece, while her signature tearaway pants and halter top have been reimagined with the white, split side Paula Knorr trousers and Gemy Maalouf's embellished top. (In Cruz's collages, above, he outlines every look featured in the "Into You" video exclusively for PAPER.)
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"I had such fun on this video," Melanie C says. "We basically had a day of dressing up, posing and dancing about to one of my favorite tracks from my new album. What better way to get over the COVID blues."
Photos courtesy of Melanie C/ Graham Cruz