MILCK is a beautiful singer. Within the three-and-a-half-minute-long span of “Quiet,” her voice dips and sails through an astonishing range of notes, all while maintaining the smoothness and honesty that make it so appealing in the first place. So, it’s only fitting that the music video for “Quiet” should be just as varied, just as enticing and just as organic.
“Quiet” deals with breaking the silence surrounding sexual assault, a topic which these days has been all too relevant. The music video begins by introducing a few storylines: A transgender girl being bullied by other kids on her way to school, for example, and a young woman living with an abusive boyfriend. The YouTube video contains a trigger warning for “subtle yet sensitive material regarding sexual assault,” which is an apt description. The focus of the video is not on the assault but on the women themselves, and on the moments when they appear to overcome their surroundings: The first girl presents herself to her father wearing makeup and a dress, and the second leaves her boyfriend.
The song is definitely emotional, but it is more a feeling of celebration than anything else. One of the most moving parts of the video occurs when the transgender girl’s father offers to dance with her, appearing to accept her for who she is. This comes second only to the moment about two-thirds into the video when both of the girls meet up as friends, in a room where MILCK is singing “Quiet” surrounded by several other young girls and women. MILCK is playing the piano, while several of the others are playing violins, cellos and flutes, and some are simply standing and singing. It’s a beautiful moment of community that shows the entire music video — and song — for what they are: Celebrations of solidarity and strength in the face of assault and prejudice.