With a critically acclaimed career spanning more than a decade and the ink still fresh on her contract with Sony Music, it comes as no surprise that Javiera Mena is practically everywhere. The wild success of her third record, 2014’s momentous pop marvel Otra Era, thrust Mena into a life on the road, with dates across Latin America and Europe, and closing out 2017 with her first extended tours of the U.S. and Asia. Despite having the world at her feet, Javiera Mena remains fixated on what lies beyond, as she playfully demonstrates with the transcendent video for her latest single “Dentro de Ti.”
Directed by Sepe and produced in Barcelona by O Creative Studio, “Dentro de Ti” refracts the metaphysical complexities of Mena’s existence into a series of stylish and dynamic shots. From life in a posh apartment filled with retro-futuristic furnishings, to Mena lying in a sand bank worshipping the moon, the video utilizes a revolving platform to give each sequence contrasting dimension. Several shots feature scenes-within-scenes, allowing Mena to act as her own backup dancer in vibrant and visually arresting montages. The conceptual video aims to give us a glimpse into Mena’s own inner universe as an artist and meditative nerd who treasures her connection to the cosmos. In a press release, Mena explains that the video chronicles a journey from the outside world to an imagined, surrealistic depiction of her inner self. The video is inspired by the French surrealist painter René Magritte, who often explored colliding dimensions in his work.
This first taste of Javiera Mena’s forthcoming album hints at a pivoting perspective from the Chilean indie pop superstar. “Dentro de Ti” acts as a pseudo-rejection of materialism, acknowledging the success and opportunities Mena has been afforded throughout her career while also tapping into her talent for self-contemplation. As she leaps ever closer to mainstream success and global stardom, superficiality and materialism seem increasingly superfluous in her mind’s eye.