Natalie Claro "Baby Bug" Music Video Review

By Angela Smith

Natalie Claro’s music video for her song “Baby Bug” is a fairly accurate representation of the song itself. The video starts out simple as it just features Claro in front of a dark background singing with a few picture distortions here and there. Around 20 seconds in, there is a change in Claro’s appearance that makes me interested in where the video is going. Once the story of the actual video starts, it seems to fit the time of year quite well. Claro is seen standing outside the window of a faceless person’s room. This person seems to be afraid of something, and eventually receives a note from Claro that causes them to start running. Claro then seems to chase after them and we are unsure of her intent. Eventually it is found that Claro is there to support the faceless person.

This music video, while intriguing, can be hard to understand, especially if you are unfamiliar with Claro’s music. Personally, I was a little confused about what was going on until I read the lyrics of the song and some annotations from Genius Lyrics. However, once I understood that the song was a message to Claro’s younger self, the video as a whole made more sense and gave me the ability to appreciate it more. It seemed as though the faceless person was a younger Claro, and Claro was observing her past and looking at how to support herself. When put together, the meaning of the song and video work to form a message of supporting those who are being put down.

Something easy to appreciate no matter how familiar you may be with Claro is the cinematography of the video. Especially as the video goes on the skill of the cinematographer is really shown off. Overhead shots of the faceless person running were laid over shots of Claro singing directly into the camera, much like the beginning of the video. The effects featured in the video are also incredible, as the distortions of the picture at the start make the video just creepy enough to feel like it fit the Halloween season.

Overall, this video is a chilling and fitting message, both for the season and for the song. The effects and cinematography stood out, and the story was creative and captivating. Throw this video a watch this Halloween, and don’t forget to check out the rest of Claro’s work.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNGNLhb3yvQ

Filmographer: Dylan Gorman of clearskysmedia.com