Josie Man - Cuts & Bruises

What this video is

Released in February 2021 during the height of COVID-19 restrictions in the UK, 'Cuts & Bruises' arrived as a deliberate counter to pandemic-era isolation and anxiety. Josie Man, a 22-year-old half-Chinese, half-British South East London artist signed to Columbia Records, had released her debut EP 'aLOVINGboothang' in early 2020 and was gaining momentum as a voice for Gen-Z self-love and Identity Pop. The video's…

Why it matters

A key early artefact of the UK Identity Pop micro-genre — a term Josie Man herself has used — which blends R&B warmth, indie-pop songwriting, and self-love lyricism in a distinctly Gen-Z British idiom. Alongside contemporaries in the South London DIY pop space, this video demonstrates how emerging…

The director

London-based filmmaker of Spanish and American-Ecuadorian heritage. Active in the UK independent music video and short film space, working with emerging artists in the indie-pop and R&B sphere. Featured on Girls in Film, a platform celebrating women in the…