You might remember Joy Crookes from that time she did a banging job playing the i-D stage at The Great Escape earlier this year alongside Rina Sawayama, Sorry, Sassy009, Kai Whiston and new BRITS Critics Choice nominee Mahalia. Since then, the 20-year-old south Londoner has released her beautiful Influence EP and continued to craft soulful song after soulful song from her life experiences.
Answering her fans’ pleas for new music, Joy came to i-D with her new single, Don’t Let Me Down. A heartstring-tugging ode to the collapse of a relationship, Joy’s story might be coming from a place of vulnerability, her vocals full of pain, but she certainly hasn’t lost inner strength. The accompanying music video, directed by young Irish talent Leonn Ward and shared exclusively here today, explores these themes while delving into Joy’s Indian heritage.
“The video was inspired by the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who I actually studied in school,” Joy remembers. “I’m second-generation Bengali and wanted to further my understanding of my Indian history. My 16-year-old self was always interested in goddesses and how the arms of this particular deity symbolise all of its different qualities. The song itself came from a vulnerable place, and for me, these arms show my strength in the situation and how I overcame it.” Lovely.