GET A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES OF KEKE PALMER’S FUN AND NOSTALGIC SHOOT FOR “BOTTOMS UP 2.0”
Keke Palmer, the 28-year-old actress, had a brief but impactful music career before becoming a coveted award show host, TV emcee, universal meme, and one of Hollywood’s most beloved do-it-all stars. While she returned to music in 2020 with the release of her two-part album Virgo Tendencies, she released her first album, So Uncool, in 2007, which was a mix of explosive pop songs aimed at teen stars.
But, this being Palmer, there were still a lot of grade-A bops, like fan-favorite single “Bottoms Up,” her party anthem with shoutouts to her midwestern origins that didn’t chart well at the time but has lately been resurrected by passionate fans across social media. People reminisce about Palmer’s seemingly unlimited prior incarnations, and the song is regularly referenced on Twitter. People are still filming themselves doing the song’s deliciously 2000s dance on TikTok.
Palmer has re-created “Bottoms Up” for the 2022 era, with revised lyrics and a slick new music video to boot, presumably inspired by her fans’ nostalgia. “Bottoms Up 2.0,” which was released on Friday, also marks the star’s 20th year in the industry – an impressive feat considering she’s only 28 years old. Palmer is still as captivating and smart as ever two decades later, as she recreates the well-worn and adored song, making it feel brand new again, ready to soundtrack cookouts and nostalgic fetes for another 20 years.
“This year marks my 20th year in the company, and I wanted to commemorate the occasion with a fun little trip down memory lane,” Palmer tells NYLON via email about “Bottoms Up 2.0.” “I started in the music industry at a young age and got the opportunity to write a song for my debut album, So Uncool, alongside my sister.” It was a song that the original listeners adored. They still sing it to me wherever I go, tag me in their social media dances to it, and include it on their nostalgia playlists. As a result, I thank them!
Palmer executes crisp and clean choreography while channeling the fun fashion of the late-aughts and bringing the party everywhere from the dance floor to the subway train cars in the new video directed by Lawrence S. Murray.
Watch the video for “Bottoms Up 2.0” above, then read on for behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot and Palmer’s candid take on how she and her team brought the 15-year-old song to life.
