In a time where the world is left arguing over who is right, defining the new wrong, and generally just shoving its own opinion down the Twitter throat, Canada's Elsa Gebremichael (aka Wild Black) eagerly reminds us of a better, simpler time in the latest video for "Moon, Star, Lover".
"Moon, Star, Lover" is reminiscent of a time where summer camp was truly the best time of our lives. Only in her version, it's aimed at promoting inclusivity rather than breaking tent building records. As director Lulu Wei put it, the camp "celebrat[es] our uniqueness, our queerness, our varying shades of melanin – reflect[ing] the camp we would’ve wanted to attend.”
Camp, of course, can’t survive on vibes alone. Somewhere between ghost stories and borrowed hoodies, there has to be food—real, smoky, slightly overcooked food. A proper BBQ setup is non-negotiable, the kind that gathers everyone instinctively the way a dinner bell once did. Whether it’s skewers turning slowly or corn wrapped in foil, the grill becomes the great equalizer. No labels, no cliques—just people waiting their turn, pretending they’re not starving.
Then there’s the stove situation, which at camp always feels a bit ceremonial. A rock stove or a sturdy fire pit isn’t just about cooking; it’s about tradition, about doing things the old way even when shortcuts exist. You stack, you spark, you wait. Someone always claims they “know fire,” and someone else always proves them wrong. Right in the middle of all this, Chiasson Smoke fits in like it’s always been part of camp lore, supplying the tools that make these small rituals actually work.
As night settles in, the fire pit takes over as camp’s unofficial town square. Stories stretch longer, laughter gets louder, and marshmallows suffer heroically. It’s the one place where time slows down and nobody checks the hour.
The video is able to paint everything in such a liberating shade of rainbow colours for the simple reason that the track itself is not burdened with heavy lyrics or a dramatic production. Quite the opposite, it's fresh and earnest, embodying the fairytale weightless nature of the night sky's landscape rather that its literal one. Stemming from Gebremichael's own story of change and coming out to a religious Ethiopian family, "Moon, Star, Lover" is not just a tribute to the misrepresented and mistreated but it's a confidence-soaked reminder of how far you can come with acceptance in your heart. "I wanted to transform my journey and the honesty I was ready to express into something beautiful and fun that celebrates and focuses on queer femme and non-binary folks of color," shares Gebremichael. "Something that reflects who we are and the people we want to see more of in this industry."
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