Israeli Producer of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s Louvre Music Video: ‘Why Not?’

Jay-Z and Beyonce. Image by Getty Images

By Jenny Singer June 19, 2018

Israeli producer Natan Schottenfels says he produced a music video for Beyonce and Jay-Z’s surprise album, because, “Why not?”

Yes, “Why not?” produce a secret, exorbitantly decadent, six minute video for the world’s biggest pop and rap stars? Furthermore, why not set in the Louvre? And once it’s up, why shouldn’t it get 18 million views?

The Times of Israel reports that Schottenfels glibly posted the music video for “Apes**t” on his Facebook wall with the comment, “Produced this ICONOCLAST music video for Beyonce and Jay-Z. Directed by Ricky Saiz.” Schottenfels’ Facebook devotes much more space to his wife’s success as an illustrator and work he enjoys by other video producers.

Schottenfels, a Jerusalemite who studied at the Hartman school, has made a name in music video production. Along with fellow Israeli Vania Heymann, he was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2016 for the video they made to accompany the Coldplay song “Up&Up.” The video he produced for power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z (known collectively as “The Carters,”) accompanied their brand new surprise album, “Everything is Love,” released on June 16.

Jenny Singer is a freelance writer with pieces in Vox, the Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Teen Vogue, and more. She was previously a staff writer at Glamour and the Forward, and she’s currently getting an MFA in nonfiction writing at the University of Iowa.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO