Japanese solo singer and songwriter MIREI reaches out on heartfelt new single Sell Me Your Love” featured along with a music video
The track nestles us into the real-life stabbing incident in 2019 that took place in Kabukicho (known for being the red-light district of Tokyo) where a woman fatally knifed her then-boyfriend who was working as a nightclub host. The lyrics beckon its listeners into the perspective of the woman as MIREI walks us through the tightrope between passion and jealousy that arises when love is treated as a commodity.
The chorus “Sell me your love / How much do I gotta pay” accentuates the surreal consumerist culture that has infiltrated modern romance, making every action and emotion measurable ad nauseam.
MIREI shares, “They say love is priceless, but can I buy your love…?” reflects MIREI. “The incident illustrates the similarity between the host club business and the risky relationships between idols and fans bonding through handshake events, or between artists and performers who market towards fans into buying glimpses of their personal lives. The Beatles made their hit record, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ more than 50 years ago, but society now has become the complete opposite; more than ever, the concept of ‘love’ is portrayed in numbers and money, as we pay for ‘likes’ and ask for ‘donations’ on social media to measure people’s love towards yourself to value your recognition and worth through them. The question we now constantly ask ourselves in this new society is, ‘How much is your ‘love’?’”
Through guttural scenes of blood, money, and desire, the video re-tells the harrowing 2019 incident while allowing viewers a peek inside the mind of the main character. ”For ‘Sell Me Your Love,’ I invited Kanon to reprise her role as the lost, lonely girl in Tokyo which she played in my previous music videos,” says MIREI. “In this video, we see Kanon transform into the perpetrator as a recreation of the Kabukicho incident. I wanted to use my videos and the main character in them to highlight the overwhelming loneliness and despair that often gets overshadowed by flashy neon lights and hollow affection that can easily be bought.”
The slick laidback tempo feels optimized for reflection as she nudges us to question the way intimacy has become coldly quantifiable, making people feel far disconnected than ever. Never to shy away from cultural issues, she continues to pave her way as an artist and storyteller who leaves her audience dazed with her relentless experimental approach towards her music.
