Underdog

• Alicia Keys is a solo R&B artist
• the track 'underdog' came from her 2020 album 'Alicia', released on RCA records
• Alicia said 'some people may think of the word underdog as negative, but I see it as powerful and representing young people who may be underestimated and yet still rise'
• Clothing:

  -Keys wears understated clothing which signifies the music genre but doesn't draw attention to her - she blends in with the group
• Clothing:

  young women in hijabs dressed in prom dresses carry cultural connotations
• the upbeat atmosphere is reinforced by waving, smiling and clapping signifying positivity
• the music video is filmed in real life locations (markets, urban streets) to create a sense of realism and actuality
• the desaturated, earthy colour pallet reinforces the sense of real life, juxtaposed with the bright colours of the street dancer character
• close up shots: creates an upbeat feeling and an engagement with the audience
• low-angle shot: looking at the sky through hands is repeated and is a visual representation of the lyrics 'rise up' connoting aspiration
• tracking shot: follow the characters and their everyday lives (man on pavement and woman on the bus)
• slow motion is a reminder that this is a stylised construction
• the narrative is linear and the story is especially positive redefining the idea of 'underdog'
• the repetitive lyrics of the chorus reinforces narrative
• Culture 


  This music video explores issues related to the experience of living in contemporary America as a member of an under-represented social group
• Culture 


  The narrative constructed by the music video offers social commentary and challenges audience perceptions of particular social groups, positioning them to view them differently
• The representations in this music video have been affected by social and cultural contexts, for example the BLM movement and the growing awareness of global social inequality
• Underdog constructs a version of reality using real locations and believable characters
• The paradigmatic choices of visual and technical codes work together to convey a point of view of the world
• Alicia Keys refuses to accept that certain social groups who are misrepresented and under represented due to their ethnicity, gender and social class should be portrayed as victims