MONTERO
A Groundbreaking Debut Album by Lil Nas X
After dominating the charts and breaking records with "Old Town Road," Lil Nas X was set to make his album debut. His EP 7 had given fans a taste of what was to come, and expectations were high. He was on a mission to deliver his baby, which he had nurtured and was now ready for the world to hear.
Released as the album's lead single, "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" became a cultural phenomenon. It was a bold statement of Lil Nas X's self-expression and sexual identity. However, it wasn't just the song but also the music video that stole the spotlight. The video, featuring Lil Nas X descending into hell and giving Satan a lap dance, sparked a heated controversy online.
As the controversy grew, Nas X released multiple pieces of content creatively titled in different ways to amplify the virality of the record.
Fueling the controversy, art collective MSCHF released a limited edition pair of "Satan Shoes," which claimed to contain a drop of human blood. Headlines of the launch attracted global attention, and the threats of lawsuits grew the buzz around the song.
Lil Nas X's genius extended to leveraging the gaming community by releasing Twerk Hero, an online game based on the lap dance sequence from the "MONTERO" music video.
Users could play as Nas X and twerk to the song for a prize.
While "Call Me By Your Name" dominated the charts debuting at #1 on the Hot 100, Nas X followed up with "Sun Goes Down," a more personal record with a visual that shows him reliving his high school prom.
He even recreated a Marvel inspired trailer for the album to illustrate just how big this album was for his career. MONTERO is a movie with a cinematic universe full of characters that he has spent crafting over the years, and it's coming soon to a theater near you.
The album's third single, "Industry Baby," featuring Jack Harlow, was another huge success. Since its release, the track become the most streamed song of the decade. Similarly to MONTERO, Nas X launched multiple creative pieces of content to excite fans and drive them to streaming. Most notably, he released a trailer for the video that showed Nas X going to court.
Lil Nas X employed hilarious and unconventional promotional tactics that resonated with his internet-savvy fanbase.
In a shocking stunt, he posted photos of his "pregnancy" on social media shortly before the album release, claiming he was about to "give birth" to his album, MONTERO.
This culminated in a hilarious photoshoot feature in People Magazine, an actual album birth, and a parody of the Maury Show. These antics were instrumental in building anticipation for the album's release as they led to multiple viral moments leading to Nas X becoming a topic of conversation.
Lil Nas X's MONTERO genre-bending, boundary-pushing album comes with controversy and the hits to back it up. He is a rare artist who perfectly understands what moves the needle online. Through months of campaigning, he landed a No. 2 debut on the Billboard 200, solidifying Lil Nas X's status as a bonafide pop star. He's true to himself and unapologetic in his approach; we thank him for inspiring others to do the same.