The girls are dancing again! Victoria Monét goes full-blown Janet in 'Alright' video
Monét's high-octane clip is the latest in a return to the tight group choreography pioneered by the Jacksons in the '80s and '90s.
The girls. Are dancing. Again.
After what seemed an eternity in pop and R&B when the expertly choreographed music video went the way of songs over three minutes, some of our best hoofers are back to hoofing. Hard.
Victoria Monét dropped the clip for the latest single off her full-length debut album, Jaguar II, "Alright," and she's putting everyone notice: she's not f---ing around.
Related: 30 years ago Janet Jackson's Janet album reinvented the modern pop diva
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Channeling her fave/constant inspiration, Janet Jackson, Monét dances, twirls, writhes, pops and locks throughout the whole video, directed by Dave Meyers, who's collaborated on many a Janet visual, from 2001's "All for You" to 2018's "Made for Now."
Monét starts off with an ode to Jackson's galactic-themed 2008 video "Feedback"...
Before donning a pinstriped suit à la Jackson's zoot suit riot of a clip for her 1989 single, also titled "Alright."
Related: Janet Jackson was (almost) a part of a mutant nation, reflects on being asked to play Storm in X-Men
'Tis the season for a two-step.
To wit, Monét's "Alright" has officially entered the chat for Song of the Summer, where Tinashe's "Nasty" has already been drumming up some conversation. Of course the title invokes fond memories of Jackson's immortal 1986 track of the same name, but the "Nasty" video is also giving Janet "You Want This" vibes, when the girls were dancing in the desert just for fun and high kicks (see also: Mya's "Case of the Ex." Please.).
Related: Tinashe, Orville Peck, Monet X Change, and more celebrate queer music with EW's Pride Playlist
Tinashe's been out in these streets, abandoned warehouses, and dystopian landscapes serving choreo for years, but "Nasty" is her first major hit as a lead artist since her 2016 breakthrough "2 On." The video — and its baddie-in-a-desert-dancery aesthetic — certainly has something to do with it. As does TikTok, where the song has been used in over 300,000 videos.
A note on TikTok, before it gets banned forever: the kids love a TikTok dance challenge and songs that can appeal to that often stand a better chance at cutting through the cacophony of tunes vying for their attention. Kids in the '80s and '90s and early '00s — when every act and their mother had a group choreo moment, despite terpsichorean talent, or lack thereof — used to practice dances from their favorite artists whenever their videos came on television. Times may have changed but the love of a synchronized swivel has not and so kids today take to the TikTok to either create their own or mimic the dances of their faves.
In short: the kids are dancing again! And they better limber up, lest we forget that perhaps the premier dancer of her generation, Normani, is getting ready to launch her debut studio album, Dopamine, and mother is salivating at the mouth to just throw these splits around.
"I've enjoyed the recording process, but I'm like, 'Put me on stage! I'm ready to perform, I'm ready to do the videos,'" the singer recently told Entertainment Weekly. "That's my bread and butter. And that's just where I have the most joy."
After all, that's what dance is all about: joy.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jackson is still touring, still shutting down a dance break, and still inspiring the new generation. And for that we are eternally grateful — in Janet we trust.
Related: Kim Kardashian wore Janet Jackson's iconic 'If' outfit to see Janet in concert
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