Ahead of the release of Baby Ariel’s new music video “Perf,” which is set to drop on Wednesday (Jan. 17), Billboard’s Chelsea Briggs caught up with the singer to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of the video and to chat with her about the process of transitioning from social media stardom to releasing music.
Speaking of the premise of the video, Baby Ariel explains that it begins with a boy coming to her house to break up with her. “So I decide to order my perfect boy, and he happens to be a mannequin,” she says. “And I’m going throughout my day with this mannequin — we go to the arcade, we are eating ice cream together — everything you would possibly do with a boyfriend that’s perfect.”
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Her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend then gets jealous of the mannequin because he is “the best boyfriend in the whole world.” Ultimately, the guy tries to get Baby Ariel back, but she slams the door in his face and rejects him.
Jokingly speaking about the mannequin, Ariel shares that his name is Derek Morgan, after her favorite character on the television show Criminal Minds.
Baby Ariel also discusses her passion for music, telling Billboard, “Singing is always something that I’ve loved and I’ve wanted to express and show to the world. With social media, one of the rules I’ve always given myself is to just be myself on social media and I’m gonna post whatever I wanna post, and that’s it. And with music, I really wanna do the same thing where all of my music is truly me. I’m not faking anything. It comes from the heart and it’s me.”
Watch the video above to get a peek into Baby Ariel’s “Perf” video, and to find out what she thinks has been the biggest challenge she has experienced so far in launching her music career.