Eartheater Discusses "Music Sounds Better With You" Video as the First Visual Foray Into Mugler X H&M Collaboration

Published on V Magazine Digital on 3.23.23

Words by Nicholson Baird

Ever since the announcement of the Mugler and H&M collaboration, the internet has been patiently awaiting a view into the collection. Today, in a riveting preview of the highly anticipated collection, Mugler and H&M have released a music video starring a quartet of new-wave musicians Amaraae, Shygirl, Arca, and V137 Gen V coverstar, Eartheater — who have come together in the creation of their own take on the 1998 club classic Stardust hit, “Music Sounds Better With You.”

The music video is imbued with the stark visual fluidity that Casey Cadwallader, Creative Director of Mugler, has become well known for in his direction of the French fashion house. From Iman Hamman smashing through studio walls in a blazer worn over a strappy bodysuit to Mariacarla Boscono purveying over a cityscape in a draped spandex dress worn under an emerald trench of epic proportions, the music video paints a dramatic scene for the collection to unfold in.

As a capsule collection, the collaboration provides a range of the styles that have helped form Cadwallader’s uber-sexy vision for Mugler, as well as a dip into the archives that have led to the recreation of iconic designs by founder of the fashion house, Thierry Mugler. “The collection is a celebration of everything that defines Mugler as a house and each piece is authentic Mugler, from the bodysuits, which have become a signature of ours, to the sharp tailoring and worked denims,” explains Cadwallader of the collection. “It is a showcase of our icons.”

Ahead of the music video release, V sat down with past coverstar and sonic innovator, Eartheater, to discuss the collection as well as her place in the process of making the video.

V MAGAZINE: I feel like your fashion sense has been a huge part of your creative identity as Eartheater, and I’m curious as to how you feel style and fashion inform your artistry.

EARTHEATER: I feel like if my fit isn’t right, I don’t feel comfortable. I’m really sensitive to it. I have a lot of different styles, so every day I could wake up and dress in a very different style than I did the day before, but it’s really just about finding harmony with my feelings for the day. To me, fashion is armor and it’s unspoken communication of how I feel and what I’m trying to express, or what I’m trying to achieve that day, or how I’m trying to protect myself that day. Fashion is a very useful communicative tool for me to find harmony in my mission as an artist.

V: I feel like you’ve had a very strong sense of world building for yourself. I’m curious as to how you find the world of Eartheater aligning with Casey Caldwell’s vision for Mugler?.

EE: I feel like both in my work and what Casey does with Mugler, he and I are both searching for what’s next in evolution. How do we go farther and deeper into the potential of art, or even the potential of our existence? It’s a constant reaching for what is next and what feels good, but also looks good. With Casey, his seams are aligned with muscular structure, in the same way you would sculpt a Bugatti with a deep understanding of aerodynamics and shape to help it perform better. When I put on a pair of Mugler jeans, I just feel like my muscles are contained and aligned in a way that is so intelligent. His understanding of anatomy is very acute, and I love that because I think in my work I also use similar ideas of science. It’s about finding what’s gonna be more comfortable and more snatched and more sexy all at the same time. And that to me is where I want to go, with what nature wants. Nature wants gorgeousness, beauty, and ease.

V: So obviously you’ve seen the collection, and I want to know your thoughts on the H&M x Mugler collab.

EE: Well, I grew up being a kid watching these capsule collections happen. I was living in Pennsylvania in the country, so I wasn’t able to jump on them, but I was always aware of them happening. I guess it’s sort of just surreal for me to be even involved in this at all. I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere, homeschooled, so it’s just really surreal to even just be part of this. Haley Wollens and Casey at Mugler right now are doing something that is very nutritious for the world and for women. I think that for them to join forces with H&M is a really positive thing, honestly.

V: Period. Can you tell me a little bit about the experience of recording your version of “Music Sounds Better With You” alongside Shygirl, Arca, and Amaarae?

EE: Oh my God, I loved that part so much. Our group was so cute. Shygirl is my sis, I just love her so deeply. In the past couple of years we’ve ended up playing a lot of the same festivals and cities on tour and so we’ll always end up kiki-ing in hotel rooms after. She’s just been so grounding for me, I love her. With Arca it’s the same thing. I feel like both Arca and Shy have been my found family in this chaotic swirl of the music industry, so it was so magical to have them there. And then to meet Amaarae was such a gift because I just love her music so much. It just was perfect, it was so cute. I really felt the lyrics, I really felt the vibe, and I had so much fun. I wanted to do more, it made me want to actually make a song with them again.

V: It truly is such a kickass lineup with four of you! What was it like being on set for recording the music video?

EE: It was really fun. You know, it’s a lot of hurry up and wait, making sure the minutiae is correct, but it’s exhilarating to see that type of high production around something that feels so wholesome and cute. It was fab and it was cunt! I mean, I was there with my girls.

V: To wrap things up, I wanna know how it felt to sort of bring yourself into that project. What did it feel like to bring the Eartheater touch into a piece of this collaboration?

EE: It felt gooood! It was so nice to have all these flavors together. I see, and self-knowledge is a great thing. So when I see Shygirl’s flavor, Amaarae’s flavor, and Arca’s flavor, I can also objectively see my flavor adjacent to them. To behold all of that together, it was gorgeous.

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Eartheater Discusses "Music Sounds Better With You" Video as the First Visual Foray Into Mugler X H&M Collaboration

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