In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you might not be familiar with this week’s Campus Cuties or the incredible and empowering music video they dropped last week. Check it out below and then get to know this week’s Cuties!
Alexis Clark ’17 and Lexus Thomas-Trail ’18
Hometown:
Lexus: San Francisco, CA
Alexis: Los Angeles, CA
Major(s):
Lexus: Linguistics and International Development
Alexis: Public Health and Digital Media Production
Year:
Lexus: Freshman
Alexis: Sophomore
Alexis Clark
What organizations are you involved with at Tulane or in New Orleans?
AC: Tulane University Broadcast Entertainment (TUBE), The Women of Color Collective, and Posse.
LT: I am involved with Black Student Union and the Tulane Green Wave Ambassadors.
Tell us about your experience filming the Feeling Myself music video.
AC: This video took a lot of work and preparation. From concept to completion it took about 18 weeks. One of the biggest challenges was coordinating everyone’s schedules, with people having schoolwork, being involved in various organizations, and having jobs it was difficult to set dates for filming. Even though it took us all semester we were able to pull it off and I am quite satisfied with the end result. I am overwhelmed with all the positive feedback and I am so glad that so many women feel empowered by this video.
LT: It all began with my love for Nicki Minaj and because Alexis also shares the same feelings for the iconic star, we decided to do a music video. We also thought it would be a great opportunity to share this experience with our friends, and as the process went on it became more and more serious. Overall, I would say that it was very stressful to produce, but in the end it was very much worth it. I love seeing me and my friends having fun doing anything that relates to Nicki Minaj. Our main goal is to get it to Nicki and just her watching the video would mean the world to me!
What was your favorite part of Feeling Myself to shoot?
LT: My favorite part is when I recorded one of Nicki’s verses because I felt very empowered rapping her lyrics and also it was very fun to shoot!
AC: I do not know if I can choose a specific shoot as my favorite. Each scene was so unique and I felt so much excitement during every day of filming. Most of my excitement can be attributed to the wonderful people in the video. Each of these women have such exuberant personalities that triggered and encouraged my creativity. Without them this video would be nothing.
Lexus Thomas-Trail
Did you expect the music video to get nearly 4,000 views in less than a week?
AC: The video actually got about 3,000 views within the first three days which amazes me. All I can do is thank everyone for sharing the video on their social media sites. The love and support is much appreciated.
LT: Not at all! I am so happy to see that we have a lot of friends and family who supports us with something that is so trivial as a music video, it gives me a lot of hope for the future.
What do you like most about Tulane?
AC: The geographic diversity.
LT: I love how Tulane integrates New Orleans culture onto the campus life. Even though I don’t leave Tulane often, I never forget that I attend school in New Orleans.
What is one thing you wish you could change at Tulane?
LT: I wish I could change the atmosphere at some of the student events, even though Tulane is a mid-sized school it would be nice to feel connected to the entire student body every once in a while.
AC: I think we need at least one more building for the B-school.
Beyoncé or Nicki Minaj?
AC: Nicki Minaj, Nicki Lewinsky, Nicki the Ninja, Nicki the Boss, Nicki the Harajuku Barbie! In all honesty both of these women are my role models. I feel women of color are so often under- and misrepresented in the media, but Nicki Minaj and Beyonce are two women who have created empires for themselves. Their presence in the media and enormous success enable me, and others like me, to see a bit of ourselves in the spotlight, which we are so often excluded from.
LT: NICKI MINAJ!!! Believe it or not, Nicki Minaj has inspired me to accomplish so many of my goals just through her hard work and perseverance. Many people only see what the media shows them, but over the years, I have been able to get to know where she comes from and what it took for her to be the successful woman she is today. I really respect her hustle and strive to be as beautiful as her everyday, inside and out.