In “Like a Virgin,” the second single off Jenys’ six-track Dive Urgent EP, the rising Russian artist delivers “a story about self-destruction,” as she describes it. “It’s the moment when your ego takes control over reality and gradually turns it into deadly paranoia. An insatiable thirst for success, fame and attention.”

This tension manifests in a powerful new music video, premiering today on PAPER, where the 25-year-old seduces a camera that moves like a second performer in the scene. It surrounds her as she dances, at one point excitedly crawling up and down her body, while Jenys repeats the song’s hook, “I want to get touched in the club like a virgin/ Touched for the very first time.”

Director Colin Solal Cardo (Charli XCX, Eartheater, Robyn) says he envisioned “Like a Virgin” to be “an intense performance video, brimming with rage, humor and catharsis.” Jenys sings, writes, produces and directs her own videos (watch “Claim That Dress”), so the focus here became about “capturing the emergence of a singular young artist in her prime” as a performer.

“I crafted an intriguing dynamic between her and the camera, entirely operated by a robotic arm,” Solal Cardo explains, teaming up with Cinemotion Robotics and choreographer Malik Le Nost for the project. “Jenys and the camera had to learn to move together, treating each other as partners.”

The entire music video was shot on an iPhone, which Solal Cardo says made everything feel “synthetic yet incredibly intimate. It allowed us to move closer to the body than a traditional camera would ever go.”

Jenys describes “Like a Virgin” as a “truly challenging and transformative experience” in her career. “Realizing I was going to work so closely with a robot brought a lot of excitement and fueled the drive to achieve the best results possible.” By moving with the camera throughout the empty blue space, she reveals her attitude towards herself. “I fight with it, seduce it, run away from it, push it, kiss it, kick it,” she says. “I love and hate it.”

The track, which will interest fans of Shygirl, COBRAH or the late SOPHIE, has the urgency of a wild night out, when highs and lows feel more extreme than in our everyday lives. It offers a taste of Dive Urgent, released earlier in 2024, wielding Jenys’ own blend of R&B, electronica and hyperpop. The EP was inspired by a trip to Spain when Jenys felt the sudden urge to leap into the ocean, and drew parallels between “electricity meeting water” and the “cathartic world of the club.”

While the “Like a Virgin” video is open to different interpretations,” Solal Cardo says, ultimately “what should be clear after watching it is that Jenys has arrived and she is here to stay.”

Photos courtesy of Pavo Marinović