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Music

Drake's New Apple Advert is a Shakespearean Tragedy of Three Acts

He thrives, he shows weakness, and, eventually, he falls.
Lauren O'Neill
London, GB

There is a new Apple Music advert, and it stars Drake, and it premiered during last night's American Music Awards. Stoking further the rumours about a musical collaboration between the Drake and Taylor Swift, it's kind of a sequel to a similar promo that Swift filmed for the streaming service earlier this year (because we live in an age where adverts have sequels now), which featured her running on a treadmill and singing along to Drake's "Jumpman," before falling off. You can watch that here, if you really want to be reminded of it.

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The Drake version follows a pretty similar trajectory – he lifts heavy stuff and sings to Swift's "Bad Blood" – but I would like to suggest that once the surface is scratched, it can also very feasibly be viewed as a three act tragedy, condensed into a 60 second promotional clip:

Act I:

The hero, with all his weight-lifting prowess and Hamlet-level hubris (he's literally listening to his own music – namely the newly dropped "Sneakin'" from his upcoming More Life project – whilst he works out, and just try and tell me that isn't the most Drake thing you ever heard) is established.

Act II:

We learn more about the hero. He experiences a moment of internal struggle whilst choosing what music to listen to, swapping Frank Ocean out for Taylor Swift on his Apple device. He seems pleased with his choice, and body-pops in front of a mirror to celebrate.

Act III:

Too swept up by the powerful strains of "Bad Blood," our protagonist gets distracted from his gains and executes a Laurel and Hardy-style comedy fall. The ad, as all things must, comes to its tragic end. The moral? If you listen to Taylor Swift in the gym you will fall on your arse. Truly a universal lesson of Shakespearean proportions. Watch below:

Follow Lauren on Twitter. (Image via Apple Music on Twitter)