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Singer-songwriter Olivia Henry’s first-ever music video has been a long time coming. Having released several singles, an EP, and her debut LP <\/span>Expectations<\/span><\/i><\/a> earlier this year, Henry was more than ready for a bold visual, and on “Beautiful,” she delivers. It’s all too fitting that the track – with its <\/span>acoustic guitar, an R&B thickness, and Henry\u2019s songbird warble – is all about anticipation and release. In the visual, the LA native celebrates pulsing intimacy and sexuality, as she tangles with a chiseled-jaw beau.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBeautiful,\u201d\u00a0 produced by Stephen Douglas Makuta, makes a bold statement. In many ways, it is the culmination of Henry\u2019s entire journey and a rallying crying for herself. Following the release of her 2014 debut EP, <\/span>Sessions<\/span><\/i><\/a>, she was diagnosed with various autoimmune conditions and was forced to take a lengthy hiatus. Henry, whose style naturally leans neo-soul and jazz, did not reemerge until 2018\u2019s \u201cGotta Run\u201d and \u201cIn My Touch,\u201d the album\u2019s magnetic lead-in issued in early 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n Expectations<\/span><\/i> is a sharp eight-track release. Olivia Henry bares her soul, from the venomous \u201cIn My Touch\u201d to the haunting \u201cLove Me\u201d and piano-tuned closer \u201cCrazy.\u201d Her musical adeptness is as charming and transfixing as her vocal prowess. As far as debuts go, it shows undeniable promise for a lengthy, totally satisfying career.<\/span><\/p>\n In writing \u201cBeautiful,\u201d the opera-trained performer leaned into its \u201cprovocative, vampish, seductie\u201d nature to craft a style all her own. That commitment to dripping sensuality, musically and lyrically, pulls the listener into a Nora Roberts romance novel. She also plays with \u201cjuxtaposing flirtatious lyrics with slow chord progressions and a haunting acoustic guitar,\u201d she tells Audiofemme.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The video supplies the necessary color palettes, camera work, and performances to punctuate all of the above. Every single frame tantalizes the viewer; it\u2019s an invitation to reconnect with one\u2019s own fantasies. \u201cMy desire for the video was to encompass all of that, while still maintaining an intimacy in the storytelling,\u201d she explains. Henry worked closely with director and dear friend Cat Ventura in plotting out the video, initially exchanging ideas over tea and coffee at a cafe nestled in Los Feliz.<\/span><\/p>\n