Mexican-American indie pop artist Chesca Música has dropped the music video for her newest single, “Only If It’s in Paris.”
This song marks the New York native’s first new project since the release of her third album, Ten Las Canciones, in April 2023, which contained her female empowerment anthem “Mijita.”
“Only If It’s in Paris” is a soulful ballad with soft acoustic guitar fingerpicking complemented by light percussion and what sounds like strings in the background to give a grandiose feel. This is fitting as the song feels like a grand gesture sonically.
Fittingly, the lyrics of “Only If It’s in Paris” are about Chesca wanting an ex-partner to perform a grand romantic gesture, like taking her to the city of love, in order to get back together with her. It appears as though her partner did not give her the attention or appreciation she wanted before. She may still have feelings for them, but also knows what she is worth.
“The melody and lyrics of the song came to me while visiting Paris right after a breakup. I was walking through the beautiful streets of Paris and shortly after thought to myself that Paris would be the only city in the world where I would forgive my ex-boyfriend. It's too beautiful and perfect of a city to disagree and have a broken heart in,” Chesca said in a press release.
The music video, directed by Raj, was shot on location in France and depicts Chesca traveling alone to various Parisian locales like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, imagining what it would be like if her former partner was with her. The video mixes live-action elements with watercolor-style visuals designed by Raj, with Chesca’s partner almost entirely depicted in this style. It is evident that her partner is not actually there, as he tends to disappear at times. Overall, it gives the charming vibe of an edited home video and allows fans a lens into Chesca’s unique world.
The song was originally released on streaming Nov. 15 and serves as a lead single for her upcoming fourth studio album HerStoria, which is set to contain 15 tracks sung in both English and Spanish.