Lourdes Leon is following in her mother Madonna’s footsteps with her debut single, “Locke&Key.” The music video, released on Wednesday, is as striking as anything Madonna may have come up with. The neo-goth fantasy visuals take viewers on a wild trip around New York City.
Leon, 25, released the song under the moniker Lolahol. The video was produced and directed by Eartheater, who also co-produced the song with Samuel Burgess and Kiri Stensby. Leon also wrote the song with Eartheater, who released the song on her Chemical X Records label. There were scenes filmed in a graveyard, while other shots show Leon leaning out of a car while a man wearing a skull mask drives.
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The video and song also feature multiple references to Lady Gaga, as Entertainment Weeklyย points out. The line “No sleep, next plane, no sleep, make-up, next club, next car, next plane, no sleep, no fear” feels like a nod to Gaga’s viral 2011 interview about her work ethic of “no sleep, bus, club, ‘nother club, ‘nother club, plane, next place, no sleep, no fear.” As Leon sings, one scene shows her getting out of a car wearing a shiny hood, similar to the look Gaga wore when Fame was released.
Leon is Madonna’s daughter with dancer and fitness trainer Carlos Leon. In October, Leon expressed some interest in becoming an actor or musician during an Interview Magazineย feature. Before recording her first song, Leon focused mostly on modeling, which she called a financially “smart” decision.
“I don’t know how I feel about acting yet,” she said in October. “I think it’s about finding a role that wouldn’t be too far off from who I am already. Honestly, actors really annoy me and I can’t be around them. As for music, I can sing. I just don’t care about it. Maybe it’s too close to home.”
Madonna’s biggest advice for Leon was to “proceed with caution and think about what you want to be known for,” she told Interview, noting that if she continued working exclusively as a model, she would be known for her looks. “It can feel very overwhelming, and can potentially cause a lot of insecurity,” Leon said. “Obviously, you’re not going to look the same your whole life. My mom is very insistent on making me think about what I want to be known for beyond my looks. That’s not what I want people to remember me by. It’s not real.”