Today, Madonna became the first major artist to premiere a music video on Snapchat, the social messaging app that is expanding into a news and entertainment destination. Staying true to the app's ethos of ephemerality, Madonna's "Living For Love" video will only be available on Snapchat's Snap Channel for the next 24 hours, after which it will move to other platforms like YouTube.The bullfighting-themed video is directed by the French duo Julien Choquart and Camille Hirigoyen, AKA J.A.C.K. Dressed in an outfit that could only be described as "matador-chic," Madonna squares off with a group of bull mask-wearing men on a theater stage. After several feats of dance choreography, she emerges triumphant, straddling one of the unmasked minotaurs (surprise, he's hot!) before waving a red flag in the air.
"Living For Love" will be on Madonna's upcoming album Rebel Heart, which will be released on March 10 via Interscope Records. Back in December, several unfinished demos from the LP leaked prematurely, prompting a social media meltdown from the pop diva where she compared the leak to rape and terrorism. Meanwhile, her team scrambled to release six finished songs ahead of schedule. The alleged hacker responsible for the leak was arrested in Tel Aviv in January.The "Living For Love" premiere is a big win for Snapchat, which has been moving to position itself as a grown-up media destination, instead of the quirky, teen-centric messaging service that it has built its name on. In line with this evolution, Snapchat recently partnered with VICE, CNN, National Geographic and other media companies to launch Discover, a feature that lets users view daily editorial content from those brands. Our sister channel Motherboard announced today that it will release a story on a Chinese bitcoin mine on Snapchat.Madonna will perform at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards this Sunday. She will also appear at the Brits Awards on February 25 in London.@MichelleLhooq
Advertisement