Music Video of the Week is a new weekly spotlight from EBONY dedicated to the visual experiences that shape the way we consume music today. In an era where the art of music video-making often feels like a dying medium, this weekly spotlight celebrates the directors, performers and visionaries breathing life into a format that still carries immense cultural and emotional weight—whether the videos are setting social media ablaze or flying just under the radar.
This week’s pick is both—and then some.
FKA twigs’ “Childlike Things,” featuring North West, is a dreamlike visual statement that folds reality, fantasy and industry frustration into an eight-minute film that lingers long after the final frame. The track serves as the latest single from twigs’ new album, Eusexua, and though the project explores intimacy and eroticism in the adult sense, “Childlike Things” serves as its wide-eyed counterpoint—anchored in purity, faith and the unfiltered urgency of creative vision. The visual was directed by Jordan Hemingway.
North West, daughter of Kim Kardashian and Ye, delivers a verse sung entirely in Japanese, referencing her love for Jesus and reinforcing a kind of spiritual innocence that feels disarmingly sincere. The mere presence of an 11-year-old on a song from an album titled Eusexua is bound to raise eyebrows. And yet, in this instance, North’s contribution feels like an intentional juxtaposition, not a misstep—one that speaks to the dualities artists often explore.
The video opens with twigs pitching the concept of “Childlike Things” to a music executive and director, both of whom are reluctant to fund her vision. Why? The song hasn’t gone viral—yet. What follows is a delicate cat-and-mouse game between creative ambition and commercial gatekeeping. We watch as twigs oscillates between the sterile, dismissive boardroom and the lush, fantastical world she dreams of building. In many ways, it’s a meta-commentary on the state of music videos themselves: Why invest in art that doesn’t already have a hashtag campaign attached?
This is hardly new territory for FKA twigs. A fiercely independent artist since her debut, she has long championed self-funding and creative autonomy, often eschewing traditional industry pathways in order to preserve the integrity of her work. But here, her struggle is more explicitly laid bare—and arguably more resonant than ever.
North’s appearance, however, is where the conversation turns murky. Earlier this year, public concern erupted when Ye teased a track featuring North alongside Diddy and King Combs—this, amid mounting sexual assault allegations against Diddy, who now faces legal proceedings. In that context, “Childlike Things” feels like a pendulum swing: a soft, almost sacred reminder of childhood purity that stands in stark contrast to the controversies swirling around the industry’s darker corners.
So, is it appropriate? That depends on where you stand. What’s clear is that the video doesn’t just present North as a celebrity child dropped into the mix for clicks—it frames her as part of a larger artistic statement about innocence, belief and what it means to be heard.
In the end, “Childlike Things” is a masterclass in layered storytelling—an unflinching look at the music industry’s obsession with virality, a quiet ode to creative freedom, and a thought-provoking conversation starter about the boundaries between art and responsibility. As far as first entries go, this one sets the bar sky-high.
