Petite Meller - Backpack

What this video is

Released in September 2013 as Petite Meller's debut single on Night Beach Records, 'Backpack' emerged from a pre-major-label independent art-pop milieu heavily shaped by Tumblr-era aesthetics, European fashion culture, and cinephilic pop. The video predates Meller's 2015 Island Records deal and operates within a boutique auteur tradition, weaving Žižekian philosophy, French New Wave cinema homage, and Riviera…

Why it matters

A landmark in early-2010s philosophy-inflected art-pop, 'Backpack' established Petite Meller's signature fusion of 'nouveau jazzy-pop,' European cinema homage, and Freudian/Žižekian conceptualism. As her debut single, it set the template for her entire visual and conceptual practice, influencing…

The director

Napoleon Habeica is a Mexican director and photographer noted for his work with Petite Meller and his foundational role in establishing American Apparel's visual aesthetic. A.T. Mann is a director and architect who served as Petite Meller's core creative…