Is it hot in here or is it just Julia Michaels and James Bay?! The two singer-songwriters released their sexually charged duet “Peer Pressure” last month, and they kick the chemistry up a few notches in the accompanying video, out Friday (March 29).
Michaels is no stranger to charismatic collaborations — see the Niall Horan-featuring “What a Time” and the Lauv-assisted “There’s No Way” as proof. She seems equally at home with Bay in the “Peer Pressure” vid, in which they serenade each other about falling in love. “Want your heart beating on me, don’t leave me hot and lonely / I don’t usually give in to peer pressure / But I’ll give in to yours,” they sing on an empty stage, bathed in celestial-looking lights. It’s a stripped-back, less-is-more affair, but watching Michaels whip her hair around, drape her arms around Bay, and brush the hair out of his face manages to be completely captivating.
“Peer Pressure” — which could be the first taste of James’s third album, following last year’s Electric Light — has already racked up 15 million Spotify streams. The video could push it to even bigger status, especially since its broadcast premiere on Friday went live on MTV Live, mtvU, and on the Viacom billboards in Times Square. That’s a lot of eyeballs on these two, but they clearly only have eyes for each other.
