Suzanna Son Covers *NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye” for A24’s Red Rocket: Exclusive
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The post Suzanna Son Covers *NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye” for A24’s Red Rocket: Exclusive appeared first on Consequence.
Our new music feature Origins sheds light on the latest tracks by providing insider information into their influences. Today, filmmaker Sean Baker discusses the cover of *NSync’s ’90s classic “Bye Bye Bye” featuring in his new movie, Red Rocket.
Red Rocket, the latest from filmmaker Sean Baker (The Florida Project), is a tale steeped in deluded nostalgia. Its main character, perfectly cast with former MTV VJ Simon Rex in the role, longs for the glory days of his once fruitful porn career in the early ’00s. To capture that misdirected wistfulness for that golden era of The American Hustle, Baker turns the *NSync classic “Bye Bye Bye” into something of a motif throughout the film.
But it’s not just Justin Timberlake and the boys singing the 2000 pop smash: The film’s other star, newcomer Suzanna Son, contributed a cover to the soundtrack. Even that’s not what you might expect though, as instead of turning it into a modern hyperpop jam, Son slows it down to solemn piano ballad.
Son captures some of the desperation of the original, but soulfully sung over the heavy piano notes, the track loses its sugary sweetness. Instead, we’re left with an acidic indictment of the past, a shift that’s both a bit haunting and, yeah, kind of funny.
That makes it a perfect reflection of Red Rocket, as Baker himself explains in the Origins of the cover. Take a listen to Son’s take on *NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye” below, followed by the writer-director’s insights on the track.
Having premiered at Cannes and won the Prix du Jury and Critic’s Award at Deauville, Red Rocket will hit theaters on December 10th via A24.
Suzanna Son:
Red Rocket (A24)
The reason the *NSync song is in this film is due to [the film’s co-star] Suzanna [Son]. We had already cast her and were in production on the film when I found out that Suzanna is a talented musician and has an amazing voice. I then found out she also taught piano. So we thought we should put her talents on display in this film. I wrote the scene in which she performs the song and then we tried to find a song that would contextually fit the narrative. Suzanna is obviously incredibly talented in more ways than one. She is not only an incredible actor but also a skilled musician and I am so excited to watch her star rise as people get to discover her immense gifts.
Group Chats:
Image via Shutterstock/Innart
For the next few days, the crew and cast shared suggestions on a text thread. We were thinking about any song that had to do with either a break-up or kicking somebody out of their life. One day it just struck me that “Bye Bye Bye” was the perfect choice. Lyrically it fits uncannily well and it’s also such an incredibly iconic pop song that it was adding immense value to use the song as an anthem for the film.
Having a Safety Net:
We did not secure the licensing for the song until after we completed editing the film. So for safety’s sake, Suzanna performed both the cover of “Bye Bye Bye” and her own original song. Her original song is quite beautiful and the scene would have worked just fine with that song alone. But of course the presence of “Bye Bye Bye” in this movie takes it to another level.
Suzanna Son Covers *NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye” for A24’s Red Rocket: Exclusive
Ben Kaye
Popular Posts
Sylvester Stallone Sparks QAnon Speculation with Coded Selfie
Machine Gun Kelly Tried Catching a Knife to Impress Megan Fox, Stabbed Himself
Fight Breaks Out During Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Verzuz Battle
Dave Grohl Covers Van Halen's "Jump" with Greg Kurstin on Night Four of Hanukkah: Watch
