Domino Kirke belongs to a family of multihyphenates, with sisters Lola and Jemima juggling acting, painting, filmmaking, and songwriting duties. Yet beyond being a musician herself, Domino has devoted over 15 years to work outside of the arts as a doula, in addition to becoming an advocate for various causes surrounding postpartum motherhood and sex and childbirth education.
On the heels of the release of her new album The Most Familiar Star—and ahead of Mother’s Day weekend—Kirke is returning with a music video for her single “Teething,” which leans into the realm of her other profession. Produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, the gentle layers of folk-rock (which were prominently featured in a recent episode of the Netflix series You) soundtrack supportive lyrics for young mothers. “‘Teething’ was written with my firstborn son in mind,” she explains. “I was speaking about my new experience as a single mum, but I was also talking about my career as a birth doula. The song is about how I strived to show up for my clients and son. I was also writing about my inner adolescent, telling her, ‘Don’t worry, I know you’ll get there eventually...and I won’t leave you until you make it.’”
The new video for the track features images of high school students sitting down for a screening of a birthing video, capturing their honest reactions to the footage as nervous giggles give way to genuine awe and a bit of revulsion. “I think various birth experiences should be shown as a regular part of the curriculum in health class,” Kirke shares, introducing the clip. “Not only are the visuals an excellent form of birth control, but they root kids in the reality of how we got here… Getting all these kids into a room to watch a childbirth video has always been a dream of mine. What would it wake up in them? What would they remember or be reminded of? How do we let teenagers know that we’re here for them, stay tethered to them the way they need when our culture tells them to be, and do the exact opposite? Birth is the ultimate unifier, like death. We remember our births in our cells. Do you know your birth story?”
Check out the video below.
