Cooper & Gatlin Leaves Us Breathless with Video for 'Fragile'

By: McKayla Dyk

When a music video features Sean Lew and Kaycee Rice, you know it’s going to blow you away. Cooper & Gatlin wisely brought the World of Dance duo as a conceptual illustration in their newest video “Fragile.”

The sibling act strayed from the sound and message of their recent single “Like You.” “Fragile” fits perfectly into the soft-pop category with a female lead and an almost sleepy whispering sound. With a fitting title, the song describes a hesitant character, fearful of being hurt — probably not for the first time.

All I want is to keep it simple

But I can tell you're still unimpressed

Just tryna make the best of these pieces

But all you see is my broken mess

The lyrics tell a relatable story, one of projection and fear of rejection. So often we find ourselves assuming the worst in others because we assume the worst in ourselves. We allow our own insecurities to influence our perception of how others see us. This kind of thinking only pushes people away and perpetuates our beliefs that we are unlovable. Cooper & Gatlin, with the help of Sean Lew and Kaycee Rice, paint a beautifully tragic picture of these consequences.

Conceptually similar to Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” video, the choreography in “Fragile” is stunning. The aural and visual elements pair perfectly as the instrumentation maintains a heavy, slow beat (with stellar production quality). And the vocals are pure and simple, allowing the pair of dancers to take center stage. And when they do, you can’t look away.

Closed my heart up like a locket

Now it's getting hard to breathe

We see Sean Lew and Kaycee Rice struggle in their own ways as Rice repeatedly rejects Lew’s embrace, slamming the door over and over again. The song and video remind us that closing ourselves off to love and opportunity hurts more than just us. It affects those around us. When we close the door too many times, people might just stop knocking.

We’re all human. We’ve all been hurt. But according to Cooper & Gatlin, love might be worth the risk. Tread lightly, but choose to love and let yourself be loved. And remember: We could all come with the disclaimer… I’m delicate so please don't break me.