If you follow musician Mitski Miyawaki on Twitter (which you should), you know she has a great, somewhat dark, sense of humor. In her new video for “Your Best American Girl” Mitski taps into this humor to explore her own cultural identity.
Sitting on the set of a music video, Mitski, who describes herself as “half Japanese, half American but not fully either,” shares flirtatious stares with a handsome, white man who soon begins furiously making out with a pretty white woman wearing a flower crown. Bereft, Mitski does what the middle-schooler inside all of us does when we’re turned down: she makes out with her hand (guess there were no pillows on set). But then, Mitski does what she does best and picks up her guitar, turning her negative hurt into a positive strength.
The video was directed by Zia Anger and features cinematography by Ashley Connor, art direction by Caiti Hawkins and styling by Creatures of the Wind. Puberty 2 is out June 17 on Dead Oceans.