Ever since news broke that Sonam Kapoor and Beyonce would be teaming up for this vid we'd been waiting for it with bated breath. But as we watched the music video for the Super Bowl tune we experienced a sense of déjà vu: we'd seen this before. All of it.
Where? In every other music video shot in India that was conceived of, shot or produced by a foreigner.
'Hymn for the Weekend' is so obviously a foreigner's fever dream of what India is: a place homogeneously steeped in poverty, mysticism and an intense desire to celebrate the white tourist.
Ok, so here's why Coldplay's 'Hymn for the Weekend' made us go hmmm.
Ever since news broke that Sonam Kapoor and Beyonce would be teaming up for this vid we'd been waiting for it with bated breath. But as we watched the music video for the Super Bowl tune we experienced a sense of déjà vu: we'd seen this before. All of it.
Where? In every other music video shot in India that was conceived of, shot or produced by a foreigner.
'Hymn for the Weekend' is so obviously a foreigner's fever dream of what India is: a place homogeneously steeped in poverty, mysticism and an intense desire to celebrate the white tourist.
This isn't even the first time Coldplay's come under the crossfire for cultural appropriation, the band's a repeat offender as their 2012 video of 'Princess of China' was met with similar backlashEver since news broke that Sonam Kapoor and Beyonce would be teaming up for this vid we'd been waiting for it with bated breath. But as we watched the music video for the Super Bowl tune we experienced a sense of déjà vu: we'd seen this before. All of it.
Where? In every other music video shot in India that was conceived of, shot or produced by a foreigner.
'Hymn for the Weekend' is so obviously a foreigner's fever dream of what India is: a place homogeneously steeped in poverty, mysticism and an intense desire to celebrate the white tourist.
In doing so Coldplay's joins the ranks of Iggy Azalea's 'Bounce' and Major Lazer's 'Lean On', among others. These artists are cashing in on a simplistic depiction of what we like to call 'Slumdog Millionaire' India, an India where street kids run around playing Holi regardless of the season, where women habitually break out into synchronised dance numbers clad in "crop tops" or cholis.
For more detail The foreigner's guide to making a music video in India
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