Shea Couleé & GESS - Rewind

What this video is

Released August 2019, 'Rewind' arrived at a pivotal moment when RuPaul's Drag Race alumni were demonstrating artistic range beyond the show's entertainment format, producing critically regarded independent music. The video, rooted in Chicago's intersectional queer creative community, brought together a drag performer of color and an Emmy-nominated Black woman filmmaker — both Columbia College Chicago alumni — to…

Why it matters

Represents a landmark in the genre of drag artist music video production: a move away from camp spectacle toward confessional cinematic realism. The black-and-white aesthetic and choreography-as-narrative device align the video with a tradition of dance-as-storytelling in R&B (referencing visual…

The director

Samantha Bailey (born 1989) is an American writer, producer, director, and actress born and raised in Chicago, IL. She received her B.A. from Columbia College Chicago. She gained recognition for the web series You're So Talented (Gotham Award nomination,…