Premiere: AYA YVES shares the clip for Body That I Break, taken from her debut EP

Over the course of 2020, AYA YVES made herself known as a face of Australian pop's next frontier. Through the work she shared across 2020 (her debut single (in)Sanity, Smart Girls, Dear E. and even a cover of Dua Lipa's disco-tinged Don't Start Now), AYA YVES consistently added her signature touch to a broad range of pop's many facets, often detailing the most intimate and personal matters to her through captivating and frankly beautiful music that from the get-go, made a lasting impression.

It's an extension of her previous work as Vendulka; the Canberra musician using the new name to showcase the same intimacy and potency of her previous work but underneath a new sound, one that feels a little distant from her folk-ier beginnings in favour of something much more rooted in pop songwriting (something that's been brought to life through collaborators including Xavier Dunn).

Her debut EP under AYA YVES came out two weeks back, with What We Look Like With the Light On being an exploration of her newfound sound and everything that her songwriting encapsulates. In a way, it felt like an introductory moment to AYA YVES as a musician and sharp lyricist, right down to AYA herself, and the stories and tales that underpin every swelling vocal melody. "They’re all about relationships, human flaws, really - the human experience, in all its bruised and battered glory," she explained on the EP's meaning with its release on February 12th.

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Today, we premiere the video clip for one of the singles on said EP, with ther video for Body That I Break going even further to dissect the inner themes of her work and how she brings them to life musically and visually. Directed by Sammy Williamson, the video clip is an extravagant display of AYA YVES' recent journey through queerness, something that the greater What We Look Like With The Light On EP explores pretty heavily.

"The track at its core is about wanting to be with someone that you think you shouldn't. Having come out as queer recently I wanted to explore my journey of accepting my queer-ness in this video. Me fighting with the idea but ultimately knowing who I wanted to be with," she says on the video clip. "I messaged Sammy and Tobias with the idea and we got to working on it straight away. I was taking a lot of inspiration from high fashion label videos/images so wanted the whole video to feel extravagant and luxe.  I was particularly inspired by Dior's Secret Garden - Versailles short film. When brainstorming the visuals I envisioned a snake- I suppose as a 'forbidden fruit' metaphor. I told Toby and it turns out his go-to Grip/Gaffer John has a pet python named Lancelot- it was meant to be!"

"I'd done a photoshoot at HQ34 before and knew Martin is a prop maker, so I pitched him the idea and he was super excited to be on board. After that it all came together pretty quickly - we got it all together in a couple weeks," she continues. :Canberra has so much creativity! My fairy godmother Loulous from Moxom and Whitney made the luxe bouquets. Teig is not only an incredibly talented actor, but also a great sculptor- and I asked him to make the little bee for the opening shot. My best friend Brauton played the female lead. The team were all local, incredible Canberra talents- I feel so lucky to be a part of such a vibrant and talented community."

It's a wonderful video, and you can take a dive into it below:

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