"She (Azealia Banks) reached out to me via Twitter first and then asked me to [be] featured on this dope track called 'Neptune' from her 'Fantasea' mixtape," Shystie tells Billboard of meeting Banks. "She then returned the favor for me on 'Control It,' which is on my new EP, 'Pink Mist.' Since then, we've hung out in New York when I was modelling for NYFW and when she was in London on tour."
When it came to putting the storyboard together with the video director, Oliver Whitehouse, "sex-with-class" was on the brain. "I wanted something fun, artistic and creative. I feel [like] a lot of videos nowadays just look generic," she continued. "I went back and forth with Oliver Whitehouse about a million times in putting the treatment together, just to make sure that we had something sexy, shocking and entertaining. I wanted this to stand out from all the other visuals I have to date. The track is sexual and domineering, and I wanted the video to reflect that."
Shystie found inspiration and motivation for "Control It" from fearless artists like Missy Elliott and director, Hype Williams. "[Their] videos taught me to not be afraid and try new things. I'm [currently] unsigned so the video was funded by [solely] my management team, Star Work Management. The finance and vision come from ourselves. It's something I'm very proud of."
As Shystie readies for the release of her EP, "Pink Mist," for April 28, she is currently in the studio working on another project to debut in September.