South of the Border: Julieta Venegas

We continue our look at international videos with a brief focus on pop star Julieta Venegas, who has topped charts in Spain, Italy, Columbia and Mexico ...


Julieta Venegas feat. Anita Tijoux "Eres Para Mi"
dir. by Picky Talarico?
California-born singer Julieta Venegas (Latin Grammy Award winner, 2 certified platinum albums in Mexico) has often released interesting and off-beat videos to accompany her hit songs, and this latest project is no exception. While the video has its flaws (doesn't go anywhere), the vibrant colors and street-dancers are exuberant visualizations of the love the singer expresses. She brings her companion into this fantasy world in order to share it with him/her - so that they might become that much closer. The final shot splits Venegas in two as she points at the screen and smiles - suggesting that her lover is literally an extension of herself.

Three more videos released from the Grammy-winning Limon Y Sal:


Julieta Venegas "Me Voy"
dir. by Picky Talarico
As the title suggests, this one is all about escape - but not necessarily escapism. In the real world the character's boyfriend is a jerk, so she dumps him in favor of grand fantasies among animals, balloons and Dali. He didn't appreciate her dreams, but once she rids herself of all things him - she's free to go and live them.


Julieta Venegas "Limon y Sal"
dir. by Picky Talarico
Inverting famous fairy tales while cleverly referencing the silent era within a pop video, this video shows us that love has no rules, standards or norms - the strangest of pairs can often work the best. Kind of like lemon and salt?


Julieta Venegas "Primer Dia"
dir. by Joaquín Cambre
While it starts out super-cheesy, the dream sequences which bring to life cheap Asian movie posters are spot on. They don't just perfectly recreate the aesthetic of films made on shoe-string budgets in countries on that side of the world, but they make a direct reference to the fairytale subject matter of the narratives within. Venegas sings of a first encounter with a lover, and the possibility of too good to be true romance - the kind you often find in these films - is exactly what's running through her mind.

The rest of the video is fairly average and the song itself could do without those horrible rap segments.

BONUS:


Julieta Venegas "Algo Está Cambiando" (2004)
dir. by ?
In Groundhog Day fashion, something is indeed changing here - albeit over time and not always to the knowledge of the protagonist. The video represents the small decisions we make which can effect such drastic change over time. The most memorable aspect is the hanging versions of Venegas, which sing from the different stages of her life like forgotten memories left out to dry. There is also more than a little bit of Gondry present and the whole thing looks very 90's - both of which are good things.