Emerging artist Lila Drew teases her upcoming album with the release of a stunning video for her remarkable new single “Bad Juice.” The video was directed by Vincent Haycock (Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Florence & the Machine) and shot at Luis Barragan’s Cuadra San Cristobal in Mexico City. 

“‘Bad Juice’ is really about trying to figure yourself out in a rapidly moving universe and trying to have some fun while doing so,” says Drew. “‘This was one of the last songs I wrote for my upcoming album. A lot of the songs I wrote up until then were pretty introspective and serious, and I wanted to try something different. I was working with Matt Hales in Bath, England, and remember going into the studio thinking, ‘fuck it, I’m going to make a song that is funny and sarcastic and ridiculous; a song that will lyrically make me laugh and that recognizes its lack of seriousness.’ I had just rewatched Kubrik’s adaptation of The Shining and was imagining myself standing within those patterned hallways and trying to find a way out. It’s become such a special song for me because it really was the first time I let go of all the seriousness and focused on just enjoying making music — it’s easy to lose sight of that.”

Of the video Drew says “We shot the music video for ‘Bad Juice’ at Cuadra San Cristóbal by Luis Barragán in Mexico City. Vincent Haycock, who has become a confidant and my creative partner through much of this album process, directed it. We thought it would be special to make a video that all explores a coming of age narrative in different and abstract ways. Every element Vince brought to the table added to that — from the locations and actors (who are all kids from Mexico City), to the puppets and the anime (who have their own love story & are meant to reflect inner monologue). Barragán is such an iconic artist and architect; being able to briefly live inside of his world, let alone capture it on film, was really magical.”

Lila Drew’s songwriting brings a radiant clarity to the more shadowy aspects of coming-of-age: the self-doubt and insecurity, misplaced longing and paralyzing anxiety. A self-described “pop cynic who makes pop music,” the 21-year-old artist transforms all that unease into high-impact pop songs, tapping into the refined musicality she’s honed since writing her own material from the age of 10. With its elegant balance of introspection with poetic observation (an element the Yale University student also applies to her work in creative nonfiction), Drew’s left-field pop songs capture the most liminal moments in songs with a strangely timeless power.

Photo Courtesy: Vincent Haycock