Cody Simpson dresses in drag for new 'Captain's Dance With The Devil' music video directed by Miley Cyrus
Australian singer-songwriter Cody Simpson has just rolled out a new music video for his song 'Captain’s Dance With The Devil', created amid the coronavirus quarantine. The soothing-yet-dark new song about a rebellious heroin-addicted sailor also features the singer in drag during certain segments. What makes it even cooler is the fact that it has been artfully shot and directed by his girlfriend and fellow pop star, Miley Cyrus.
It's nice to see that the talented duo are putting their artistic gifts to good use here, considering the rest of the world has been starved of quality content during this COVID-19 lockdown. This moody, collaborative effort is a great showcase of their creative powers and has garnered a wide-ranging slew of compliments on social media already.
The two-and-a-half-minute music video was shot by Cody and Miley in their Los Angeles home, where the couple is currently isolating. The gentle swirling song perfectly complements the nautical-themed video, which showcases the life of a heroin-addicted teenager who yearns to be free — "This young man is going to die," sings Cody. In the course of the video, we are treated to six simultaneous split-screen views, often showing duplicate images at the same time.
The visuals feature soft mood lighting throughout, as we see Cody dressed as a sailor holding a bottle of alcohol, smoking and drinking in a captain's uniform, taking a shower under blue lights, standing shirtless next to a campfire while playing guitar, and lounging around in a bathtub dressed in drag, bedecked in a necklace, earrings, and fishnet stockings in other shots.
"'Captain's Dance With The Devil' was inspired by my new collection of poetry," Simpson said, referring to his book 'Prince Neptune'. "It's a narrative about a young sailor yearning for freedom. A boy interested in rebellion from societal conventions. Interested in the rough life, the tough life, a life outside the law — a life at sea. I thoroughly enjoy telling stories in my music!" He continued to talk about his creative process, saying, "I play often with nautical, maritime and oceanic themes in my lyric writing and my poetry. The song can be interpreted in myriad ways and this was my primary idea."
He also explained that the cross-dressing elements of the video came from his girlfriend, saying "Miley [Cyrus] interpreted the song, which is reflected in the newly released visual, as the Captain’s struggle with societal norms regarding masculinity, and his secret affinity for dressing as a woman at a time when this was not as widely accepted as it now has become. Being able to tell that story throughout this music visual was ideal, and I hope it inspires encouragement toward creative freedom in people in the realms of art, music, wardrobe and life."
Fans were also heaping praise on the creative couple's new music video, with one viewer saying, "So happy to see a dude like him wearing makeup, breaking the clichés of what masculinity is supposed to be. And his voice makes me travel. Love it." Others agreed, saying "CODY'S TRULY AN ARTIST AND MILEY DID A GREAT JOB" while another declared, "Its just freedom. Cody Simpson isn't a writer, he's literally a walking book of realization!"
Most listeners were loving the vibes of the new song, saying "Such a cool vibey and different music video. This is one of my favorite songs, I've listened to it on repeat since it was released !!" Another fan said, "Miley is so talented. But Cody + Miley are magnificent. This couple is truly godsend" Another admirer also admitted his love for their new work, saying "I wish Miley would direct my life."