Nothing But Respect for Our Blood Pact Cult Leaders Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama
Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama are now united by a blood pact. And we’re here for it. On Friday, the pop princess pair released the video for their collab “Beg for You,” which follows the women in a Power Rangers fight scene-esque backdrop as they lead some of their cult followers to die.
All sporting cherry color-coordinated outfits, Charli and Sawayama lead a group of women to an abandoned desert area before engaging in a blood pact ceremony. “Oh, don’t you leave me this way,” pleads Charli in the chorus. “Won’t you wait another hour or two?”
Perhaps cult leaders Charli and Sawayama have some witch power as they send currents up some electrical towers during their choreographies to the track’s catchy, gay club-ready melody. “You’re like an ocean breeze/Coming and going just as you please,” Sawyamama sings. “Separated by a degree/Hesitate and I lose you.”
In one scene, Charli gashes the palm of her hand — in front of an American Horror Story‘s Rubber Man-meets-iconic-Jetix-logo (Remember those cartoons?) character — as she lets her blood drip into a red pool. The offering seems to be for white robe-wearing Jesus wannabe who drinks straight from the pool. (Vincent Castellanos is credited as “cult leader” in the video credits.)
By the end of the clip, Sawayama and Charli hold hands as their entourage falls to the ground, seemingly dead. After the song wraps with a sweet harp, the clip zooms into a burning fire at the altar. Perhaps it’s foreshadowing the next video?
“Beg for You” samples Petra Marklund’s dance hit “Cry for You,” performed under the moniker September. The track will join “New Shapes” featuring Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens on Charli’s forthcoming album Crash, out March 18. Charli is also heading on a tour from April to June to support the record.
On Thursday, just a day before the video’s release, Charli shared a lengthy statement calling out fans who have been “angry at me” for some of her release choices and the marketing campaigns behind them. She noted that while she’ll be “drafting tweets,” she’s going to have someone from her team send them out. “I have been feeling like I can’t do anything right at the moment,” she wrote.
