Items24The creator’s order
  1. 1Michael JacksonMichael JacksonBorn 29 Aug 1958Thriller (1983) gave Jackson a screen identity that could move from romantic lead to horror character to the centre of a tightly organised dance sequence. John Landis directed a short film with a story around the song, while the choreography made Jackson's movement part of its lasting appeal. Watch…0i
  2. 2MadonnaMadonnaBorn 16 Aug 1958Like a Prayer (1989), directed by Mary Lambert, made Madonna's relationship with religious imagery and public controversy part of the song's visual life. Costume, narrative and performance place her inside a story about desire, belief and injustice rather than a neutral promotional setting. Watch…0i
  3. 3David BowieDavid BowieBorn 8 Jan 1947In Ashes to Ashes (1980), Bowie and co-director David Mallet created a strange visual world around a return to Major Tom. Bowie's Pierrot costume, designed by Natasha Korniloff, gives the familiar star another unstable identity rather than a straightforward portrait. Look at the contrast between…0i
  4. 4Peter GabrielPeter GabrielBorn 13 Feb 1950Sledgehammer (1986) makes Gabriel's face and body material for animation rather than simply objects for a camera to admire. Stephen R. Johnson directed, with contributions from animators including Aardman and the Brothers Quay. Gabriel's willingness to submit to the painstaking process is central…0i
  5. 5Kate BushKate BushBorn 30 Jul 1958The white-dress video for Wuthering Heights (1978), directed by Keith MacMillan, gives Bush's gestures as much importance as her face. Her dance and mime training turn the song's character into a physical presence, with hands, gaze and sudden changes of posture carrying the drama. Watch it for the…0i
  6. 6BjörkBjörkBorn 21 Nov 1965Human Behaviour (1993), directed by Michel Gondry, places Björk inside a handmade-looking fairy tale whose scale and logic keep shifting. Her performance belongs to that peculiar world rather than standing outside it as a conventional glamorous narrator. Start here to see how expressive curiosity,…0i
  7. 7Missy ElliottMissy ElliottThe Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) (1997), directed by Hype Williams, makes Elliott's wit and physical confidence the centre of a deliberately distorted visual world. The inflated black outfit and exaggerated camera perspective resist the idea that a female star has to appear within a narrow glamour…0i
  8. 8Janet JacksonJanet JacksonBorn 16 May 1966Rhythm Nation (1989), directed by Dominic Sena, places Jackson within a disciplined group rather than separating the star from everyone around her. Monochrome imagery, coordinated clothing and tightly synchronised movement turn the performance into a collective statement. Watch her precision and…0i
  9. 9BeyoncéBeyoncéBorn 4 Sept 1981Formation (2016), directed by Melina Matsoukas, situates Beyoncé's star image within a dense set of Southern Black cultural references and political images. Fashion and choreography operate alongside place, history and collective identity. Watch the shifts between individual poses and scenes…0i
  10. 10Lady GagaLady GagaBorn 28 Mar 1986Bad Romance (2009), directed by Francis Lawrence, gave Gaga a setting where extreme fashion, choreography and a darkly theatrical story could work together. She moves between stylised poses and direct emotional intensity without abandoning the video's heightened world. Watch the contrast between…0i