Breaking up, the millennial way

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By Stefan Brending

Machine Gun Kelly holds up signature gesture https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

Johanna Cornejo, Staff Writer

With Valentine’s day passing, you expect the flowers, chocolate or big teddy bears with a date for the night, but for some people, it does not happen. On February 14, music artist Machine Gun Kelly released the music video for his single “The Break Up.”

After being released for less than a week, the music video has reached over 1 million views on YouTube. The song itself was past the feeling of a ballad and more of a relief to him to end a relationship.

The release of the single came from his deluxe reissued 2017 LP Bloom. The audio was released on December 24, 2017, two months prior to the music video’s release. With lines like, “I know you bought me the watch, you ain’t get it back though,” is pretty clear that Kelly was not wanting the girl back.

The song explains how he does not need his ex and there is nothing wrong with that. The way he said it however, is a different story. With explicit lyrics, it goes to show that not all relationships will end peacefully.

The music video consisted of the rapper and his ex, as they argue over the phone, switching between rooms of bright colors and balloons with not so welcoming words. The colorful video is said to represent a millennial breakup in the digital age, but it is also rumored to be about a “high-profile relationship that soured a few years ago.”

Along with the release of the video, Kelly launched a new project with the reveal of website Thebreakup.com on Valentine’s day. The website allows the users to make custom yet “creative” ways of ending a relationship.

The users can create their own or use a pre-set, greeting card ending. So far people have used breakup lines like, “Wanna see a magic trick? Poof! You’re single.” The list just keeps growing.

While being creative, the website is a bit extreme since users are breaking up with someone via picture. Also, the message will not be from their number, but a unknown number. It also goes along with the stereotypical “millennial way” of breaking up with someone and is not the way to go.

While Kelly has not made a statement about the song, it is clear to say that the song and everything released alongside it proves that not everyone will have a “perfect” Valentine’s Day. The song shows not everyone will have dates or gifts or may have broken up with someone, hence why Kelly made the release the day before the “Day of Love.”