In “See You Again” Rose muses on the genesis of a new love, radiating that nervous excitement of being on the precipice of something new and full of passion. The video, which was directed by Maya Rose herself along with Katherine Seppings, is very intimate in its presentation, populated with shots of Rose singing directly to her audience. Rose explains this approach: “I wanted to be seen alone in the video because in the song I am on my own. I’m sharing my memories with the audience, as if they are with me. Being in the present moment, the other character is a mystery. I wanted to make strong eye contact with the camera and audience because of the personal narrative in the song.”

Maya Rose – ‘See You Again’ (BTS photo by Katherine Seppings)

She continues: “I really appreciate and enjoy watching music videos where the artist is the main feature. I was going for a style I had seen in Ella Mai’s video for “Trip” which included low and coloured lighting, night scenes and intimate close shots. Lorde’s music video for “Green Light” was an inspiration for the DOP, Aidan Fryer, which brings movement into the performance.”

This movement is something that is used in expert reserve. The verses and first chorus are predominantly presented in near-static shots, both in the little movement of the camera and of Rose in her performance. There is this photographic quality to the framing and presentation of these shots that feels so stylish and sophisticated.

Maya Rose – ‘See You Again’ (BTS photo by Katherine Seppings)

However, once the energy of the song picks up in the second and third choruses, the feel of the video becomes much more playful. Rose dances and performs to the camera and even the camera itself becomes much freer in its movement.

Rose elaborates on this stylistic approach: “In the verses, especially, I am contemplating and reminiscing in the lyrics. It naturally felt like I would be sitting still, pondering ‘questions on my mind’. In the first chorus I wanted to continue to be intimate with my listener. The movements are sensual and sleepy, as I’m waking up to the memories, in the lyrics, ‘jealous of the night we had, cause now I’m here without it’. In the second and third choruses the movement increases because of the energy of the song and my hope of seeing this person again.”

Maya Rose – ‘See You Again’ (BTS photo by Katherine Seppings)

The sophisticated aesthetic of “See You Again” is heightened by the opulent and elegant locations in which the majority of the video is set, with an earthy colour palette of golden browns and splashes of luxurious red throughout. On this, Rose says: “I had the location in mind, the exotic ambience of the art deco interior in the gold rush hotel in Castlemaine – my home town. I chose the pink tones of my clothes to fit in with the décor and furnishings. The warm, earthy colours created a sensual visual experience to express the feeling of the song. The location was great because it provided a bar as well as a bedroom, staircase and large lounge areas with interesting details throughout, including the skylight and huge mirror.”

Maya Rose – ‘See You Again’ (BTS photo by Katherine Seppings)

“See You Again” musically and lyrically, bubbles with this intense sensuality and intimacy that Maya Rose has done an incredible job of capturing in her video. Unwilling to take all the credit for this however, in closing, Rose speaks so highly of her collaborators; co-director Katherine Seppings and DOP/Editor Aidan Fryer: “Katherine Seppings is my mum and was able to help me with her experience as a photographer and having worked on music videos in London in the 80’s and 90’s. She suggested the location and we planned how we could make use of the spaces. It was great having someone to bounce ideas off. I studied media in VCE and loved filming and editing my own personal video diary style films, so making a music video was a lot of fun for me.”

Maya Rose – ‘See You Again’ (BTS photo by Katherine Seppings)

She continues: “I’ve known Aidan since I was young and knew he had a great eye in the videos he’d created. Katherine and Aidan were both very professional and easy to work with and made the experience a pleasure. We shot everything under 12 hours. It was very simple having all the scenes within close proximity. Aidan edited the video in Melbourne, and I had input in the final stages.”

“The video was just how I’d imagined it would be. I absolutely love it!”

Here is the official video for “See You Again”