Lil Nas X is weighing in on accusations that his recent music video for "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" looks a bit too similar to one by FKA twigs.
After the 21-year-old rapper dropped his new devil-themed video last week, fans pointed out on social media that its pole-dancing visuals are reminiscent of those in FKA twigs' "Cellophane," released back in April 2019. The director for "Cellophane," Andrew Thomas Huang, appeared to agree and tweeted on Saturday, March 27 that the "Montero" visuals are "copying" his own work.
On March 30, Lil Nax X took to Instagram to praise "Cellophane" and let fans know that he and FKA twigs recently chatted about the situation. His post included footage from FKA twigs' music video, which was choreographed by Kelly Yvonne, who also choreographed "Montero."
"i want to show love to @fkatwigs & @andrewthomashuang !" the "Old Town Road" vocalist captioned it. "the 'cellophane' visual is a masterpiece. i was not aware that the visual would serve as a major inspiration for those who worked on the effects of my video."
He continued, "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."
Shortly thereafter, FKA twigs shared her own post about the two videos that included a photo of Lil Nas X holding a rose.
"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!" she wrote in part. "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."
Andrew's most recent social media post is a March 27 Twitter thread in which he called himself a Lil Nas X fan but said a project that "repurposes someone's labor and ideas to serve their brand image" does harm to the artists who put in the "original leg work."
"Intentional or not, copying other artists' work happens," the director continued. "Making music videos is a labor of love. The demand for content pushed by major labels renders our work disposable and pits artists against each other."
"Montero" director Tanu Muino does not appear to have weighed in on the controversy.
For her part, choreographer Kelly reposted the "Cellophane" footage that Lil Nas X shared on March 30. "¡Stream #CELLOPHANE and #MONTERO on all platforms!" she captioned it.