“Love was on my mind. I drew it out, trying to wrap my head around it all. I saw myself in a window eating a blueberry muffin the size of my head, I saw myself surrounded by people with mysterious heads.”

Conjuring this vision into reality, Brooklyn musician and HEROINE 12 star Junglepussy premieres the new video for her latest track Arugula, exclusively on HERO.

Directed by filmmaker and producer Caity Renee, the short film shows Junglepussy hanging out of her own kitchen window surrounded by purple roses with a massive blueberry muffin in hand (courtesy of Munchies Bakery) as she raps into camera: “My love long like a tangerine dream song, cause me pain call me crazy then call me ur lady/I wasn’t gassed not at all na, you never claimed me“.

“I named this piece Arugula coz love tastes like it: tender, bitter, yummy, spicy,” says Junglepussy of the track. A romantic at heart, later in the video the artist is backdropped by the phrase ‘The Last of the True Lovers’ – a title reflecting her commitment to romance despite past negative experiences. “My love grows like vines on homes where roots run too deep…my love can’t be stopped,” she tells us, “I will always love, again and again. I’m the last of the true lovers.”

A visceral exploration through depictions of love and intimacy run throughout Junglepussy’s output – whether instructing guys to step up or go down. In conversation with Erykah Badu inside HEROINE 12, Junglepussy elaborated on the difficulties of dating and finding someone who looks past the moniker:

“If you really take the time to try and look past the name and see me, you will see a very warm, welcoming person. But if you just stick on whatever you think it means and whatever you think your friends are gonna think, you’re gonna be hesitant to date Junglepussy. That’s fine because I don’t want somebody who’s gonna act like I’m some Loch Ness Monster or something. I’ve come to terms with the sacrifice, like years ago I would just like cry and pray like, “Oh my gosh.”

I didn’t realise the repercussions of sharing this message of not taking shit or whatever. I’m not even making music for guys per se, but they’re still listening and offended and they’re holding this whole experience that I’m using so women feel liberated, safe and strong – they’re using that against me. But then I was like, “You know what, universe, if this is my purpose, if I have to sacrifice going on dates to have this experience of being super independent and inspiring people to do the same, OK.” That’s my purpose, whatever, I’ve come to terms with that.”

Follow Junglepussy on her website and Instagram.