Lil Nas X accused of "ripping off" FKA twigs with his Montero video
29 March 2021, 11:33
Lil Nas X gets emotional over Montero success
The director of FKA twigs' Cellophane video has also called out Lil Nas X for copying her with his 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name) video.
Lil Nas X is facing backlash over claims that his 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)' video copies 'Cellophane' by FKA twigs.
Last week (Mar 26), Lil Nas X released his highly anticipated new single 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)'. The song and its music video immediately received praise from fans and critics. In the lyrics, Lil Nas X raps about gay sex and relationships and the video sees Lil Nas X give Satan a lap dance. The visual has already been viewed 30 million times on YouTube.
However, Lil Nas X has also been accused of "ripping off" FKA Twigs with the video and now her director has spoken out.
READ MORE: Lil Nas X fans are living for his Montero lyrics and the memes are hilarious
Midway through the 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)' video Lil Nas X is stoned to death. He then begins to rise up towards a winged angel in heaven before sliding down a pole to hell. FKA twigs' 'Cellophane' video, likewise, sees her pole dancing and climbing towards a winged celestial creature in the skies before she also plummets to an underworld like Lil Nas X.
Fans immediately noticed similarities between the two music videos. One person tweeted: "so fka twigs loses the Grammy she should’ve gotten for the cellophane mv to lil nas x and then lil nas x turns around and steals a lot of the concepts from the cellophane mv for his own mv...".
I think @LilNasX took one too many notes from @Andrew_T_Huang and @FKAtwigs in their new MV. Here is a side by side clip of Cellophane and Montero. You be the judge.#LILNASX #fkatwigs pic.twitter.com/lroBsJxub8
— Arthur Tam (@ArthurityTam) March 27, 2021
so fka twigs loses the grammy she should’ve gotten for the cellophane mv to lil nas x and then lil nas x turns around and steals a lot of the concepts from the cellophane mv for his own mv... pic.twitter.com/uRp23HwCUc
— kailey (@fallingforshame) March 26, 2021
too much discussion abt lil nas x being demonic. not enough discussion abt how his label reached out to the director of FKA twigs cellophane video and got denied and then they ripped it off anyways
— hollow skin suit (@papayaskins) March 27, 2021
Andrew Thomas Wang, the director of the 'Cellophane' video then took to Instagram to personally call Lil Nas X out. At first, he reposted a fan's Instagram story who wrote: "Far too often music video directors have their work ripped off" alongside a side-by-side comparison between both videos.
Andrew then posted his own story adding: "There's no winning when this happens. Been copied before but this feels different. @lilnasx's label contacted me at the end of last year. Pivoted away then hired the same choreographer from 'Cellophane'. Consider the power you wield and the artists who you harm when you capitalise on our blood swear tears and emotional labour."
He later took to Twitter to clarify his comments. He wrote: "I'm a fan of @LilNasX. "Old Town Road" is iconic. Sharing collaborators is common. Seeing the "Cellophane" choreographer collab with Lil Nas X is awesome (love a Satan dance). Sharing aesthetics and paying homage is part of the creative process. Collective consciousness exists."
He added: "I urge the music community, particularly major record labels like @ColumbiaRecords to respect directors, uphold artistic accountability and honor the ingenuity of artists dedicating their blood sweat and tears to imagine better futures amidst a broken industry. We can do better."
The director of FKA twigs’s “Cellophane” video speaks out amidst Lil Nas X's “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video controversy. pic.twitter.com/5nRhxPjv2V
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 28, 2021
Images are also expensive to make. Years of work went into the creation of “Cellophane,” from physical training to the emotional labor of unpacking Twigs’ life to construct images told her story of trauma and recovery. “Cellophane” was a confession in the most vulnerable sense.
— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021
Intentional or not, copying other artists’ work happens. 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.
— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021
I urge the music community, particularly major record labels like @ColumbiaRecords to respect directors, uphold artistic accountability and honor the ingenuity of artists dedicating their blood sweat and tears to imagine better futures amidst a broken industry. We can do better.
— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021
As it stands, neither Lil Nas X nor FKA Twigs have commented on the copying accusations. We shall update you if they do.
