#TrackOfTheDay! Outstanding artist Teddy Jackson returns with another sexually charged single, LICK. A perfect development on his previous single, Freak. Teddy continues to assert himself as a voice for sexual liberation and freedom of expression.
His previous IG Live series ‘Rethinking Kink’ with KALTBLUT Magazine worked to help combat the stigma related to kink, the kink community, and sex work and this latest track “LICK” clearly continues his message of sex-positivity.
The London-based artist doesn’t miss a beat with his cheeky, brash, and crude lyricism as he sets out his list of demands for anyone who dares to play. Dark synths, heavy-hitting drums, and alien-like vocal editing create a unique soundscape that transports you to some sort of debaucherous purgatory between outer space and the underworld, which is where the music video is set. Taking inspiration from auteur Gaspar Noe, Teddy intended to create a visual that delicately balances beauty with revulsion. Each character embodies their own unique aesthetic and each is introduced separately to highlight the importance of their own uniqueness and personality. As the video progresses, their aesthetics morph together and compliment each other as the group intertwines in an exploration of each other’s energy. It is an intense sensory experience where all aspects are pushed to the extreme in a celebration of bodies and sexual fluidity.
It’s clear from the outset that Teddy’s provocative lyrics and visuals are not intended to make you feel comfortable, in fact, that’s exactly the point. His desire to push things to the extreme is his own way of pushing for the normalisation of expression outside social norms.
“If I push my art and expression to the extreme then perhaps next time a man is seen wearing a dress or make up down the street it might not seem as radical, maybe even more normal and thus more accepted. ”For me, art is supposed to make you feel something. It’s supposed to make you think. It’s supposed to make you question things. If you see a pretty person sitting on a pretty chair on a pretty set singing to a pretty song, that’s cool and beautiful and all but what are they actually doing for the culture? Don’t get me wrong, there’s obviously a place in the world for pretty things but I’m more inspired by the ugly, the unusual, the unaccepted. That, for me, is where cultural shifts start.”
linktr.ee/teddyjackson_
www.instagram.com/teddyjackson_
Credits:
Audio Production: Michelangelo Dousis (@michelangelo.mp3) & Teddy Jackson (@teddyjackson_)
Creative Direction: Teddy Jackson
Director: Robert Daglish (@robertdaglish) & Teddy Jackson
Editor: Robert Daglish
MUA: James Mac (@jmac_mua) & Raphael Arcadios (@candy_puxe)
MUA Assistant: Pavol Gabaj (@pavol_gabaj) & Alice Platts (@aliceplatts_)
Hair: Sam Arnold (@sja_hair)
Hair Assistant: Hana Briggs (@hanabriggshair)
Wig Stylist: Styled By Vodka (@styledbyvodka)
Styling: Paige Beer (@paigeofmagic)
Styling Assistant: Beca Montenegro (@becamontenegram), Freya Thomas-Taylor
(freyathomastaylor) & Hyunsun Chang (@hiunsun)
Set Design: Teddy Jackson
Set Assistant: Adam Naas (@adamnaas), Billie Dellios (@billiedellios) & Paige Beer
(@paigeofmagic)
Photographer: Jody Evans (@jdy.evns)
Colouring: Olha Kriukova (@rainbowfoxcolour)
Cast:
Teddy Jackson (@teddyjackson_) wearing Gregory Ojakpe (@gregojakpe) and prosthetics by
Charle Ivey (@charleivey)
Darkwah (@hausofdarkwah) wearing Manon Planche (@manonplanche) and
nails by Brixton Klaws (@brixton_klaws)
Dolli Okoriko (@dolli.glam) wearing Studio FCLX (@studio.fclx), a necklace by Hyunsun
Chang (@hiunsun_vision) and boots by Kira Goodey (@kiragoodey)
Danni Spooner (@dannispooner) wearing a custom look by Paige Beer (@paigeofmagic),
headpiece by Leo Carlton (@leocarltonworld) and ring by Charle Ivey (@charleivey)
Billie Dellios (@billiedellios) wearing Marie Monique (@moniquefei)
Rocky (@rocky.try) wearing Alvaro Mars (@alvaromarsinfo
@sum_other_agency) & Studio Fclx (@studio.fclx)
Tom Rees (@t.rees10) wearing Alvaro Mars (@alvaromarsinfo
@sum_other_agency) & Studio Fclx (@studio.fclx)
