It’s hard to think of a greater meeting of the musical minds than Lorde and Britney Spears, but that’s exactly what the lord (no pun intended—okay, pun kind of intended) has delivered to us with our October cover star’s brand-new cover of Spears’s 2007 hit “Break the Ice.” Yes, okay, it’s technically September, but we think this one dropped just in time to be a contender for the song of the summer.
Directed by Alfred Marroquin, the music video for Lorde’s cover of “Break the Ice” is stripped-down and borderline cottagecore in its execution, with the 24-year-old singer clad in a bright-red crop top and pants that seem to visually recall Spears’s red latex jumpsuit from the “Oops!…I Did It Again” video from 2000. Lorde has Spears’s lyrical delivery down, but the understated dance moves—which would be right at home on the dance floor at Mood Ring or any other Bushwick club—are all her own.
Although a recent Salon story focused specifically on the differences between Spears’s hyper-sexualized aughts persona and Lorde’s more tailored look, Lorde’s cover of “Break the Ice” makes it clear that she’s more than capable of channeling her inner Britney and bringing some old-school pop passion to the show. Watch the full video above.
Director: Alfred Marroquín
Executive Producer: Molly Griffin
Executive Producer: Nance Messineo
Executive Producer: Cole Santiago
Line Producer: Sean Gordon-Loebl
Director of Photography: Zoe Simöne-Yi
1st AC: Aaron Snow
2nd AC: Sarah Penson
Steadicam Operator: Franz Brun
Gaffer: Omar Nasr
Key Grip: Gulab Singh
Location Sound Mixer: Patrick Southern
Production Support: Salina Hernandez, Jeremy Berger, Trevor Bukowski, Raimi Fasula-Moore
Hair Stylist: Cameron Reins
Makeup Artist: Amber Dresden
Stylist Assistant: Leslie Padoll
Filmed On Location at New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY
VP Of Programming And Development, Vogue: Robert Semmer
Director Of Content, Vogue: Tara Homeri
Entertainment Director, Vogue: Sergio Kletnoy
Supervising Producer, Vogue: Jordin Rocchi
Production Manager, Vogue: Emily Yates
Post Production Supervisor, Vogue: Marco Glinbizzi
