After Lil Nas X dropped his new single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” on Friday, fans were quick to note the visual similarities between it and the music video for FKA Twigs’ 2019 hit “Cellophane”. Both clips feature the artists sliding down a lengthy stripper pole while putting on a difficult routine — by the same choreographer, no less — leaving viewers to question if it was plagiarism or tribute. So Twigs called the rapper on Tuesday to privately discuss the matter once and for all. Ultimately, they’re on good terms, with her even thanking him for “acknowledging the inspiration” of her track.
“Thank you @lilnasx for our gentle honest conversations and for acknowledging the inspiration cellophane gave you and your creative team in creating your iconic video!” wrote FKA Twigs. “I think what you have done is amazing and I fully support your expression and bravery in pushing culture forward for the queer community. Legend status. I want to thank @andrewthomashuang and @kelyvon for helping me create ‘Cellophane’ but also and most importantly i would like to thank sex workers and strippers for providing the physical language to make both videos possible.” See the full post below.
Earlier that day, Lil Nas X revealed that the tension was resolved with the R&B singer and her creative team. He called her music video a “masterpiece” and said he had nothing but love for both FKA Twigs and the visual’s director, Andrew Thomas Huang, notes EW.
“I was not aware that the visual would serve as a major inspiration for those who worked on the effects of my video,” said Lil Nas X. “I want to say thank u to twigs for calling me and informing me about the similarities between the two videos, as I was not aware they were so close. Was only excited for the video to come out. I understand how hard you worked to bring this visual to life. You deserve so much more love and praise.”
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This is just the latest in a string of controversies spawned from “Montero”. Over the past few days, Lil Nas X has been a punching bag for right-wing media pundits, he was slapped with a lawsuit by Nike, and he even got news outlets to go full Satanic Panic. Luckily, Nas was born and raised on memes which means he knows exactly how to handle overwhelming amounts of attention; the best way to handle critics isn’t to apologize, but to blatantly troll them right back.
