The “Settle” song and music video by A’NAMII talk about the obstacles of abusive relationships. The dreamy R&B instrumental of the track goes in contrast with lyrics like “what If I did this shit to you” or “thought you was breaking me down.”
The “Settle” Plot
The music video shows a couple attending a party. A lot of the A’NAMII’s lyrical character friends are also there, and some of those people happen to be men. This fact gets the boyfriend gradually upset, as many male friends of the singer’s lyrical character approach her, give hugs, and talk.
Eventually, the boyfriend can’t handle all the hugging and talking anymore, so he starts publicly arguing with the A’NAMII’s character. The singer’s friends help her calm the guy down, after which the singer’s character leaves for a moment and runs into another male friend. The boyfriend eventually follows A’NAMII’s character, and seeing the two chat sets him in rage mode. Almost immediately, the boyfriend grabs A’NAMII’s arm, and the two leave the party.
The next camera shots show the two arguing in the car. Eventually, physical altercations occur, as the two are smacking each other while driving. At some point, the car stops at the vacant lot.
After this, the boyfriend exits the vehicle and approaches the door where the girlfriend sits. He opens the door and starts throwing A’NAMII’s character out of the car while she is resisting. Once the singer’s character is on the ground, the boyfriend starts choking her and drives away, leaving A’NAMII’s character sitting on the floor.
The Video
The video sequence captures the boyfriend’s behavioral change from toxic to downright abusive. It worsens with every new man approaching, location changing, or both. One can see how he acts nicer in public at the party and then act violently in the privacy of the empty parking lot. The video’s colors also capture this, as it gets darker and darker, with the boyfriend’s behavior worsening.
In the beginning, the couple happily walks in the street during the day, and even though it’s already sunset, the sun still shines brightly. It gets darker at the party with dimmed lights, where we can also already see the signs of the boyfriend’s toxic behavior. And then, it gets completely dark in the end, when the couple drives back during the night, and the boyfriend acts violently in the parking lot.
Another thing about A’NAMII’s “Settle” music video is that its end appears at the beginning. It helps to settle the mood and see through the boyfriend’s behavior in the video more clearly.
Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk
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The National Domestic Violence Hotline takes calls 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-799-7233 for TTY. If you cannot speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.