What does the world look like after a breakup? In my experience, whether it was amicable, mutual, or somewhat of a relief, there is still a sense of loss. It’s undeniable, breakups are tragic. Even if you convince yourself that you never really liked the person that much to begin with, it hurts because usually, you go into the relationship with the best of intentions.
Kim Petras manages to portray the imagery of that tragedy in her new video for “Broken Glass,” recorded in collaboration with DJ, Kygo. Though the single itself boasts the soaring vocals that we have become used to with Petras, alongside the dance hall ready electricity that has become Kygo’s signature, the video is dark. Petras walks alone in the shadows of a broken world, desperately tugging at the threads available to her, searching for something that is probably not there.
The weird thing about pop music is that it is constantly, addictively listener-friendly but oftentimes, the lyrics themselves hide something from you. Petras is singing about the lengths she will go to avoid ending something that is already broken. The expression “walking on eggshells” comes to mind. There is a reason why Petras has become a favorite among some of the biggest names in pop, including Lewis Capaldi, and Britney Spears. Not only does she have one of those voices that just breaks you to listen to, but she is also obviously brilliant in the way she mixes those beats we are used to in the pop genre with a poetic lyricism that makes you double-take when you finally think to look up the words that you are dancing to.
“Let’s keep dancing on the broken glass / And all that’s left is smoke and ash.” Yikes. Once the Quarantine is lifted, this is probably going to become a mainstay at the nightclub. This is probably also something I am going to cry to somewhere down the line. But for now, I’ll focus on the dancing.
