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Robyn’s re-imagining of Neneh Cherry’s iconic song Buffalo Stance now has a video, and she’s tapped Pose star Indya Moore to feature in it.
The track produced by Dev Hynes and featuring Mapei and the fresh new video was directed by Manchester born India Sleem who now resides in Brooklyn.
The clip stars model and actress Indya Moore best known for their role in the hit TV series Pose. Moore’s own story is incredibly inspiring from leaving home at 14 – escaping a transphobic family, foster care, homelessness, and ultimately becoming an iconic and especially important figure amongst the LGBTQ+ community.
In the video Indya Moore is joined by other young queer and BIPOC creatives who may not previously had the opportunity to show off their “buffalo stance” – their skills, their beauty, their power, their queerness.
Robyn has shared how excited she was to create a new version of the tune.
“The imprint Neneh Cherry´s voice made on my ten-year-old brain has stayed with me ever since I heard Buffalo Stance for the first time. How she repeated “no money man… can win my love” and the riff at the end of the song stuck with me and has informed many songs I’ve written since then.
“The husky low tones and the high frequency power in her voice, revealing truths about what it is like to be a girl without excuses, were intensely inspiring.
“It was 1989 and me and my friend spent most of our summer holiday playing cards and listening to Raw Like Sushi. Even though I didn’t understand all the words, I knew Neneh was on my side.
“So as one of my first true heroes, when Neneh asked me if I wanted to work with Dev Hynes and cover Buffalo Stance for this album, you can imagine how extremely honoured I felt.
“My ten year old mind would have been completely blown and that’s still how I feel about Neneh and this powerful song, it’s timeless and still relevant. And I’m excited and pleased I got to interpret such a classic in collaboration with Dev Hynes and Mapei, who I both admire so much as well.” Robyn said.
Check out the new video.
The song has had a long history. It first appeared in 1986 as a b-side on a 12 inch single by duo Morgan McVey, which comprises Jamie J Morgan and Cherry’s future husband Cameron McVey.
The original tune was produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, who go on to create hits for Mel & Kim, Kylie Minogue, Bananarama, Jason Donovan and many others. The A-side was called Looking Good Driving, and the flip side saw Cherry rap over elements of the song.
Later producer Tim Simenon, who would go on to have hits as Bomb the Bass, expressed interest in reworking the song. Two years later it was Cherry’s debut single and a worldwide hit.
The song has also been the theme to Jamie Oliver’s cooking show Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals, and has previously been covered by Burka Som Sistema.
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