FKA twigs has released the video for Pendulum, which she has directed herself. The video references the Japanese bondage style shibari and also sees the singer almost swallowed by a CGI sea, in a series of mesmerising scenes…

The January issue of Creative Review features an interview with FKA twigs, in which she discusses her work as a director and artist. The singer has recently signed to production company Academy Films’ A+ roster, and as well as directing her own videos, has shot a promotional film for Google Glass, shown here, in which she stars.

In the Pendulum video, twigs spends a fair amount of time tied up – perhaps not the easiest position from which to direct you might think, but the concept for the piece came entirely from her. “It’s the biggest creative thing that I’ve ever done,” she says. “I wrote the song, I co-produced the song and then I directed [the video] myself. I came up with the concept myself, it’s a complete 360 involvement in terms of creativity and leadership.

“To me it’s a dream come true because I’ve never wanted as an artist to have everything as a beauty parade,” she continues. “It makes me feel sick if I’m in a video trying to look as hot as I can look…. Although in my music there is an element of sensuality, it’s not really about sex, it’s not really about being sexy, it’s actually so much deeper than that. I think that’s why it’s really important that I have been directing my own videos, because maybe other people wouldn’t understand that.”

This search for a less predictable image of a female pop star led to quite specific instructions from twigs on set. “I had to explain to the cameraman that ‘you’ve done it from a man’s eye view’,” she says. “’You’re shooting and you’re going from my face down to my chest and it’s great but it’s not me’. I was like ‘let’s look at my calves, let’s look at feet tied up, let’s look at the marks on my arms, let’s find things that are more interesting’.”

The full interview with FKA twigs can be read in January’s issue of Creative Review, available now in all good newsagents.