English singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae’s new music video spotlights abolitionist Harriet Jacobs’ harrowing life story through dance. Released today (August 15), “Peach Velvet Sky” stars seasoned dancer and choreographer Mayowa Ogunnaike, who uses her artistic gifts to interpret Jacobs’ spirit of determination and survival.
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“‘Peach Velvet Sky’ is about the fragments of sunset Harriet Jacobs saw, through the tiny loophole she made, and its ultimate width and wonder when she finally found freedom,” Rae says in a statement.
The theme of Rae’s latest video is inspired by Jacobs’ own influential and historical written works, which describe the trauma she endured as a child born into slavery.
“Reading in The Johnson Publishing Library reignited my interest in The life of Harriet Jacobs,” remarks Bailey Rae, “I had read her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, as a teen. An aunt from America had sent me a copy of Six African American Narratives, and I went straight to ‘Incidents’, as it was the only one written by a woman. Re-reading the work as an adult and a mother, I was even more profoundly affected by Harriet Jacob’s mental fortitude and courage, as well as being shocked anew by the injustices and cruelties of her situation.
“Jacobs, born in 1813, escaped slavery in her early twenties,” Rae continues. “She feigned her flight North, knowing her obsessive, sexually harassing, and violent ‘master’ would not relent until he had searched the Free States for her. Instead, she hid in the crawl space above her free Grandmother’s storeroom, where she remained, with the help of her Grandmother, for seven years. Jacob bored a small hole through the wall of the cabin, through which she could occasionally see her children as they played nearby. She could sew clothes for them by this light, as well as overhear conversations that pertained to her safety.”
“Peach Velvet Sky” is the second single from Rae’s upcoming album Black Rainbows, due on September 15 via Thirty Tigers. The project marks the 44-year-old’s first full-length release of new original material in seven years.
[RELATED: Corinne Bailey Rae Announces New Project Black Rainbows]
Rae is embarking on an extensive headlining tour this fall, which kicks off on September 5 in Long Island, NY. You can find a complete list of upcoming concert dates and ticketing information at Corrine Bailey Rae’s official website.
Watch the stunning music video for “Peach Velvet Sky,” directed by Gregory Berg, below.
Photo Credit: Koto Bolofo
