Swedish singer Seinabo Sey makes her voice the center of attention in her latest video for “I Owe You Nothing.” She pays homage to her roots in the gripping visuals — which were shot on location where her father grew up in Gambia.
After releasing her debut album Pretend
in 2015, the songstress is back with a new project for release this year. Starting with a string of new songs, like her Jacob Banks-assisted “Remember,” Sey is slowly touching more and more fans with each release.
“I wanted to show people something I hadn’t seen in a major label pop context, if it’s not from like, Kendrick Lamar or Beyoncé,” says Seinabo about the video/song. “I love and respect them so much, but when African culture is filtered through Western or American eyes, it kind of dilutes it a little bit, and all of the things that I’d see growing up don’t really make it to the final product. I just wanted to show the little weird things and give a more nuanced picture than I had seen before of those parts of the world.”
On the song, Sey lets her soothing melody guide the track’s unapologetic vibe. “I be myself I aint frontin na na nah/I owe you nothing,” she sings. “I be myself I aint frontin na na nah/I don’t have to smile for you/I don’t have to move or you/I don’t have to dance monkey dance monkey dance for you/See I wont help you understand/I don’t need no helping hand.”
Watch “I Owe You Nothing” below.