Video: Ari Lennox – Pressure

In comparison to Ari Lennox’s first song, Shea Butter Baby, her most recent release, “Pressure,” showcases a lighter and more carefree side of her singing. The single, which was written and produced by Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johntá Austin, and Jai’ Len Josey, is the perfect amount to whet our appetites for new music from Ari.

The music video for “Pressure,” which was directed by Chandler Lass, begins in the 1960s, continues through the 1970s, then enters the 1990s and 2000s, and finally arrives in the distant future. “Ari came to our team with the idea of a ’60s themed video, and eventually that turned into following Ari through different decades and what that might look like,” Lass said in an exclusive interview with VIBE. “Ari came to our team with the idea of a ’60s themed video.” Because of this, we had a lot of room to be creative in imagining how the production design, costume, makeup, and choreography would look in our version of each era.

The vocalist can be seen in the beginning of the visual in a look that is reminiscent of Diana Ross and The Supremes. After that, it transitions into a kaleidoscopic dream that has a Soul Train vibe to it. After that, Ari imitates Donna Summer by dancing in front of a mirror, and then she transitions into a segment that very well could have been taken from any Hype Williams video from the late 1990s or early 2000s.

Ari Lennox, who was wearing a silver bikini top, posed in front of a metallic backdrop beside two dancers who wore matching outfits.
According to Lass, “I was absolutely blown away by how our choreographer Cortland [Brown] was able to create decade-specific dances for each setup that both paid homage to the time period but still felt unique and present day.”

Check out the music video for “Pressure“.