Cannes Contenders 2026: Music Videos
With some striking visuals and stirring tracks, Annie Ayres, Head of Music at Untold Studios, picks her selection of the best music videos, ones she believes could become chart toppers at this year's Cannes Lions.
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Vince Staples Cotton
Bradley and Big Kid are operating on another level right now. Their work always stands out, and this Vince Staples campaign is a masterclass in how to do things differently. Cotton weaves textures, archival clips, and live footage into a really powerful, thoughtful political tapestry. It doesn't just sit next to the album; it adds a whole new layer to it. It’s an arresting piece of visual storytelling, right at a moment when Vince is making some of the most vital music of his career.
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powered byPinkPantheress Girl Like Me
Put Laurie Lotus and LAUZZA together, and you get one of the coolest, most beautifully disorienting videos we’ve seen in a minute. The VFX doesn't just feel like a cheap trick, it’s more like a visual puzzle. The first time you watch it, it plays like one of those optical illusions your brain can’t quite figure out. I’ve watched it at least ten times and it still blows my mind. It perfectly matches the vibe of the track and feels completely fresh for the current landscape.
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- Production Company Compulsory
- Director Laurie Lotus
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View on- Production Company Compulsory
- Director Laurie Lotus
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- Director Laurie Lotus
Tobe Nwigwe ft. Labrinth All Or Nothing
FILFURY actually uses restraint to make this hit harder. The pacing is so deliberate that when an AI moment happens, it carries real weight instead of just being visual noise. The crazy part? They pulled this off in two weeks with a huge team. The fact that it feels so calm and intentional just shows what happens when a crew really trusts each other under extreme pressure. It feels more like a high-end editorial art film than a standard promo, perfectly capturing Tobe's own artistic energy.
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View on- Director Tobe Nwigwe
- Director Filfury
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powered by- Director Tobe Nwigwe
- Director Filfury
Channel Tres Medicine
ONDA and C Prinz are absolute royalty in the music video world, and Medicine shows exactly why. They lean into this 90s grunge palette with total conviction, cutting everything in perfect rhythm to one of the year's catchiest tracks. And Channel Tres just owns the screen, he looks born to be in the frame. Honestly, every single shot is so beautifully composed you could hang it in a gallery. It's one of those rare videos where everything just clicks perfectly from the jump. No notes.
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powered byFKJ Soulmates
When a director and an artist really trust each other right out of the gate, you can feel it on screen, and Soulmates is the perfect example. Balan Evans’ in-camera work, combined with a gorgeous, high-contrast 16mm grade, makes the whole thing feel like a found memory rather than a planned shoot. It’s intimate without trying too hard, and authentic without losing its edge. It genuinely feels like the visual soul of the track itself.
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- Production Company Untold Studios/London
- Director Balan Evans
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View on- Production Company Untold Studios/London
- Director Balan Evans
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powered by- Production Company Untold Studios/London
- Director Balan Evans
GENER8ION ft. Yung Lean Storm
You can't really talk about the future of music videos without bringing up this one. Gavras mixes things most directors wouldn’t even try, humor, raw energy, deep concepts, and just a touch of pure weirdness, but he pulls it off with a style that feels totally effortless. That class photo sequence? It’s this beautifully strange mix of choreography and camera magic that reminds you why we even make music videos in the first place. It's seven minutes of pure creative justification.
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- Production Company Iconoclast France
- Director Romain Gavras
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View on- Production Company Iconoclast France
- Director Romain Gavras
- Creative Director Ben Surkin
- Producer Maeva Tenneroni
- Producer Guillaume Le Gat
- Producer Nicolas Galoux
- Production Designer Mohamed Ayada
- DP Lara Perotte
- DP Matias Boucard
- Editor Benjamin Weill
- Sound Editor/Sound Designer Hugo Thouni
- Audio Mixer Alexandre Widmer
- Music Supervisor Leo Copet
- Choreographer Damien Jalet
- Stylist Charlotte Buchal
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powered by- Production Company Iconoclast France
- Director Romain Gavras
- Creative Director Ben Surkin
- Producer Maeva Tenneroni
- Producer Guillaume Le Gat
- Producer Nicolas Galoux
- Production Designer Mohamed Ayada
- DP Lara Perotte
- DP Matias Boucard
- Editor Benjamin Weill
- Sound Editor/Sound Designer Hugo Thouni
- Audio Mixer Alexandre Widmer
- Music Supervisor Leo Copet
- Choreographer Damien Jalet
- Stylist Charlotte Buchal
Imani Imani Mind Games
Neal Farmer and Keana Williams have created something quietly amazing here. The setup sounds almost too simple: intense Hakken dancing paired with Imani Imani’s deeply soulful vocals and a stripped-back guitar. But somehow, it completely works. The styling is flawless, the slow-mo feels incredibly intentional, and the whole video manages to earn its emotional punch without having to force it. If you haven't gone down a Hakken dance rabbit hole on YouTube yet, this is the perfect excuse to start!
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View on- Director Neal Farmer
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powered by- Director Neal Farmer
