Megan Thee Stallion & Normani’s Music Video For “Diamonds” Is A New Take On Marilyn Monroe
If you're excited about Birds of Prey, the girl squad superhero movie based around Harley Quinn leaving The Joker behind, then you will be stoked to hear the first song off of the movie's soundtrack. This first single is none other than Normani and Megan Thee Stallion's "Diamonds" and the music video reveals film footage, with the setting in Gotham City. The girl power anthem is just one song off of the 16-song soundtrack.
The first single off the Birds of Prey, which is officially premiering in theaters on Feb. 7, is a major hint at what one can expect from the rest of the entirely female soundtrack. This song is "Diamonds," a power anthem, indeed, and one that takes inspiration from a surprising place. The two artists channel their inner Marilyn Monroe by including a nod to starlet's tune "Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” which made its appearance in 1953's movie musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The music video gives a nod to the iconic scene as well, via a dolled-up Harley Quinn and Normani, with other Monroe references appearing in the Birds of Prey trailers.
The music video begins in a dark landscape of Gotham City in an abandoned fairground. The result is a mash-up of glamour shots and all-around woman power, with both singers yielding a giant hammer or baseball bat like Quinn's. We see the two singers travel in a car to the dreamy landscape of the fairground, full of giant hands, multi-colored surroundings, and bright carnival lights. This is complemented with actual footage from the film, showing Quinn in the same setting.
The lyrics start with Normani singing the chorus first:
Diamonds are a girl's best friend (Tiffany) / Di-Diamonds are a girl's best friend / Southern girl like me, I ain't afraid to catch a case / VVS' on me and I flooded out the face (Hey, hey, Cartier)
The song brings up several jewelry-specific terms that some might be a little confused about if they aren't big on fine jewelry. Normani references to a VVS' diamonds — which the Gemological Institute of America says have very little "inclusions," or visible flaws — and baguettes (a specific cut style) are def giving Monroe's classic tune some love.
Megan Thee Stallion raps the verses, with the first one beginning, "I'm a super she-ro," but then also says she's "bad like a villain," which perfectly fits into Harley Quinn's whole vibe. Just as Normani sings, "I don't need you" in the chorus, Megan Thee Stallion sings lyrics that are dripping with independence from men, such as "All the best things in life come for free / But don't you think that applies to me." She makes it clear she knows her worth and doesn't want to be taken for granted.
The whole video embodies the vibes of Margot Robbie's Quinn, showing her fighting villains with her giant hammer, along with the two singers sporting a baseball bat and hammer like Quinn's and wearing patent leather clothing with graffitied words, later showing Megan Thee Stallion using her hammer on some whack-a-mole villains.
The Birds of Prey soundtrack album cover was just released by Hypebeast on Twitter Jan. 9, revealing upcoming tracks from Halsey, K. Flay, Sofi Tukker, Summer Walker, and Doja Cat, among others.
While you're waiting for the movie and soundtrack to drop, you can watch "Diamonds" with Megan Thee Stallion and Normani and enjoy those girl-power vibes and clips from the film.
