Lil Nas X shared with fans some behind-the-scenes shots from his controversial “Montero” video
Lil Nas X’s latest song, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” has reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart. The song is trailed by Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” in second place. This would make Lil Nas X’s second No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart after “Old Town Road,” which spent 19 weeks in the number one spot in 2019.
“Montero” has become popular due to the controversial video of Lil Nas X, which has drawn condemnation from Christian religious circles as well as a lawsuit from Nike over the blood insole ‘Satan Shoes’ worn by Lil Nas X. The company that made the shoes are defendants in the Nike Lawsuit in which Nike was granted an injunction against MSCHF to stop any further sale of the shoes, which sport an inverted cross and human blood in the sole.
The song name references his real name Montero Lamar Hill and according to an explanation from Lil Nas X- the song “begs the question: do you truly love your neighbor as yourself, enough to call them by your own name?”
The artist is also basking in the joy of achieving No. 1 as he shared that he felt dismissed by fans in 2020 as he struggled to please everyone but that he continued working in spite of it all.
“Last year I was sitting in my apartment thinking it was all perfect, to please everyone, and not make any enemies. That stifled me creatively. I felt so sorry for myself. But around this time in 2020 I pulled it together, me, daytrip, omer & roy worked for months on end,” he said.
“One day in June I was working on a song and foundn myself leaving the studio every 10 minutes to cry but I didn’t stop working, a melody came to my mind “Call me when you want na-na-na-na-na, and I knew it was something special about it, fast forward a year alter it’s the biggest song in the world. Thank you guys so much,” he said.
Many viewed the song as satanic as they criticized the artist, but Lil Nas X has said that the song is a reflection of the internal battle he felt regarding his queer personality. “we get to decide OUR own destiny, never let the world decide it for YOU!” he said.
On Twitter, he also said, “y’all told 19 year old who had just escapted the lowest point of his life that he would never have a hit again. You told him to stop while he’s ahead. He could’ve gave up but 4 platinum songs and 2 #1’s later, he’s still here.”
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S streaming, radio airplay, and sales data to arrive at chart data. “Montero” was released on March 26 on Columbia Records is the 1,120th No. 1 single in the Hot 100’s 62-year history, according to Billboard. It’s also Lil Nas X’s first song to debut at No. 1.
According to Billboard, the song recorded 46.9 million U.S streams and sold 21,000 downloads in its first week.
