Back in June, UK songstress Tawiah gave us a stirring reminder of our greatness with her single "Queens" from her EP Recreate, which was released later that month. Now, she’s following that up with a visual to accompany the regal anthem in the form of a live performance for SB.TV. The new video was filmed at The Arboretum in South Bermondsey, London, which is also the home to her record label collective, Lima Limo Records. The footage was directed by Emile Ebrahim Kelly and features Tawiah as she sings the empowering lyrics backed up by her band. In a dimly lit, almost cave-like setting with gray walls and sporadic greenery, we see five beautiful “queens” of all shades chiming in on the chorus.
"I grew up with people saying, ‘You're pretty for a black girl’ when I was in school and sadly, I thought it was a compliment,” says Tawiah. “It wasn't a compliment. Recently my beautiful niece told me she wanted to be lighter, it broke my heart. How dare society prescribe what makes a beautiful woman. A queen is a woman who stands tall, proud and strong in the face of those ideas, someone who ignores them entirely in favor of knowing their own value, that is beauty." We second that sentiment, and we applaud the Bounce-Worthy alumna for encouraging women of all shades to stand with confidence and pride in a society that constantly attempts to dictate the standard of true beauty.
Watch this stunning live performance of Tawiah’s “Queens” right here and see yourself or the women you love in all of its beauty. If you haven’t already, give her latest EP Recreate a spin via Amazon, Bandcamp, iTunes or Google Play.
