Lila Iké Embraces Self Care In ‘True Love’ Music Video
Lila Iké has dropped the official music video for her single, “True Love”, in which the Jamaican singer acknowledges her personal and general struggles but perseveres with the existence of self love.
The Reggae song, produced by Natural High Music, and the accompanying video, directed by Ayana Riviére, encourage listeners to choose love even in the darkest of times.
The video begins with a naked Lila Iké curled up on the beach, in the fetal position, which can be tied to her vulnerable and “exposed” state late last year when she took to social media to announce that individuals were out to get her. The 27-year-old songbird stated last month that the situation was the result of her professionally diagnosed bipolar disorder and that she was on the mend.
Iké revealed in a statement that the track was inspired by a freestyle she made approximately a year ago as she sought to process the emotional turmoil and weight of the pandemic. The result is a self-care anthem in which Lila Iké croons the song on a beach, amid the stars, and later in a spacious field, from which she ascends to the sky in the clip's closing moment.
Watch “True Love” music video by Lila Iké.
The breathtaking video, which was released on Thursday (March 31), was shot in the coastal regions of St. Ann and St. Thomas in Jamaica, and includes scenic views of the mountainous terrain, bird's eye shots of the crystal-clear turquoise sea, and intimate shots of a fresh-faced, plainly-clothed Iké interacting with wild horses.
In a statement released to VIBE, the 27-year-old songbird from Machester, Jamaica, described her first 2022 release as a “personal love letter to my future self on healing and dealing with everything I'm experiencing at the moment.”
“‘True Love' is a song that I freestyled almost a year ago. At the time I was in a very emotional space and feeling a bit low in energy due to everything happening with the pandemic,” she expressed to the publication.
“I wanted to find a way to turn what I was feeling into a piece that would give others, who may be feeling the same, some hope,” she added.
Lila Iké also told Rolling Stone that she hopes the song will inspire individuals who are “battling with something inside themselves.”
“I really want this song to reach people that may be battling with something inside themselves,” Iké told the publication.
“It is a gentle reminder to be kind, patient and love themselves. Self love is the greatest form, and it must come first and foremost above anything else.”
“True Love” emerges as Iké works on her first studio album, which will follow her 2020 EP, The ExPerience. The album will be released through RCA Records and In.Digg.Nation, the label founded by Reggae musician Protoje.
Lila Iké has several festival dates planned for this spring and summer, including a May 26 appearance at the Cali Roots Festival in Monterey, California. Additional dates will be announced in the near future.
