Amel Larrieux - Get Up

What this video is

Released in October–November 1999, 'Get Up' arrived at a pivotal cultural moment when neo-soul was crystallizing as a recognized genre, shaped by artists like Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, and Lauryn Hill. Larrieux, already known from her mid-90s duo Groove Theory, was launching her solo identity on 550 Music/Epic Records with Infinite Possibilities (released February 2000). The video's production in Canada under Floria…

Why it matters

A landmark early document of neo-soul's visual vocabulary, 'Get Up' represents the aesthetic intersection of conscious R&B, bohemian self-presentation, and artistically ambitious video direction. As Larrieux's solo debut single and visual statement, it established her distinct identity apart from…

The director

Italian-Canadian director, photographer, and screenwriter born 1965 in Pescara, Italy; raised in Hamilton, Ontario after family emigrated when she was two. Studied painting and illustration, then photography, at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Began…