Montero (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Montero
Album cover
Studio album by
Lil Nas X
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2021 (2021-09-17)
Recorded2019–2021
Genre
Length41:17
LabelColumbia
Producer
Lil Nas X chronology
7
(2019) 		Montero
(2021)
Singles from Montero
  1. "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)"
    Released: March 26, 2021
  2. "Sun Goes Down"
    Released: May 21, 2021
  3. "Industry Baby"
    Released: July 23, 2021
  4. "Thats What I Want"
    Released: September 17, 2021

Montero (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Lil Nas X, released on September 17, 2021, by Columbia Records. The album, titled after his given name, was first announced in 2019. Its title, cover artwork, and tracklist were unveiled in 2021. Four singles supported Montero: the lead single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", "Sun Goes Down", "Industry Baby", and "Thats What I Want". "Montero" and "Industry Baby" each topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, while "Thats What I Want" peaked within the top ten.

The album features guest appearances from Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion, and Miley Cyrus. Musically, Montero is a pop rap record with influence from various other genres. It received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised its eclectic production and catchy songwriting. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, it received a nomination for Album of the Year making his second consecutive nomination in the category, while "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" is nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Music Video and "Industry Baby" is nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance respectively.

Commercially, the album topped the charts in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden, and entered the top 10 in other territories.

Background[]

In 2018, American rapper and singer Lil Nas X released his song "Old Town Road", a single that would go on to set a record for the longest-charting number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] However, with some people dismissing his success as a one-hit wonder, Lil Nas X wanted to depart from the country trap sound of "Old Town Road" when working on his debut album; instead, he focused on rap, pop, and R&B, influenced by Drake, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Doja Cat.[2][1][3] In an interview with American radio personality Angie Martinez conducted in August 2019 after the release of his debut extended play 7, Lil Nas X revealed that he was working on his first full-length album, noting that it was going to be more personal.[4] In early 2020, Lil Nas X asked Take a Daytrip, a production duo who helped with 7, to executively produce his debut album. Lil Nas X would then start recording a series of demos during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns.

Months into production, Lil Nas X teased the album's lead single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" on Twitter, with positive reception.[5][6] The track was later teased again in a Super Bowl commercial for Swiss hardware manufacturer Logitech, before its release was announced publicly[7] alongside a music video directed by the Ukrainian music video director Tanu Muino on March 26, 2021.[8] The album's second single "Sun Goes Down" came shortly after on May 21, 2021, which followed the homosexuality theme seen in much of the final release.[9] Both tracks were performed on Saturday Night Live just a day later on May 22, 2021.[10] After the release of "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)," the popular art collective MSCHF partnered with Lil Nas X to release a modified version of the Nike Air Max 97 dubbed Satan Shoes which were temporally available on MSCHF's website. Nike was quick to sue MSCHF, which lead to a court case that was settled a month later.[11] As a promotional technique for the project's third single "Industry Baby", Lil Nas X took to TikTok to announce that a mock court hearing would be held on the single's release date on July 23, 2021.[12] The announcement was bundled with a promotional video featuring a fake court hearing which acted as the precursor to the song's music video, directed by Christian Breslauer of the music video production company London Alley.[13] Several songs from the album were later leaked online on July 27, including some that never made it to the final release.[14][15]

On August 26, 2021, Lil Nas X formally announced Montero in a promotional skit posted onto his YouTube channel.[16] In the promotional video, the track "Thats What I Want" was teased as the album's fourth single. On September 17, 2021, the song and its accompanying music video was released along with the rest of the project.[17]

Release and promotion[]

On March 26, 2021, following the release of "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", Lil Nas X announced the title of the album—Montero—on Twitter, along with a 2021 release date.[18] On June 29, a parody of the Marvel Studios production logo was uploaded to YouTube as a new trailer for the album featuring various clips from the music videos of his singles.[19] On August 23, a partnership with Taco Bell to promote the album was announced, with Lil Nas X playing a role in "menu innovations".[20] The album's release date was announced through another teaser video uploaded to YouTube on August 26.[21] The video acted as a continuation of the music video for the third single "Industry Baby".[22]

The track listing was announced on September 1. Alongside the announcement, collaborations with Doja Cat, Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion, and Miley Cyrus were revealed.[23][24] In early September, Lil Nas X participated in a fake pregnancy photoshoot, with the supposed baby being his album. He was inspired to do so by Megan Thee Stallion's verse on the track "Dolla Sign Slime". To accompany this, he created a "baby registry" which was used to gather donations for various LGBT charities.[25][26][27][28] The album cover was created by artist Charlotte Rutherford.[29]

Montero was released on September 17, 2021, by Columbia Records.[30] The album's launch was preceded by a livestream on YouTube showing Lil Nas X being interviewed by Montero, played by himself, on a fictional daytime talk show titled The Montero Show,[31] before being sent to the hospital in an emergency to "give birth to his album".[32]

Music and lyrics[]

Montero has been described as a pop rap record.[33][34] Primarily rooted in hip-hop and pop, the hook-dominated album incorporates trap beats and distorted hard rock, and draws elements from 2000s R&B and stadium ballads.[33]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[35]
Metacritic85/100[36]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[37]
Clash9/10[38]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[39]
Exclaim![40]
The Guardian[33]
The Independent[41]
The Line of Best Fit10/10[42]
NME[43]
Pitchfork7.1/10[34]
Rolling Stone[44]

Montero received acclaim from music critics, who often commended its bold and heartfelt subject matter, and the eclectic production.[45][46] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 85 based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[36] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[35]

Mike Wass of Variety praises how the project isn't shy to "give voice to the fears and longings of a generation of queer kids", citing the project's lead single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" to be "one of the most defiantly queer chart-toppers of all time" and that the track ranks as "the ultimate earworm on the album".[47] Meanwhile, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the album a five-star review in which he praised the album's lyrics, variety and change in tone halfway through, while also noting the album rollout's use of product placement, citing prominent advertising for American fast-food giant Taco Bell and the popular food delivery app Uber Eats.[33] Melissa Ruggieri of USA Today highlighted the work of production duo Take a Daytrip, praising how the duo "pilot his music through valleys of beats and peaks of melody" and how it leads to "a pleasant exploratory ride" throughout the duration of the project.[48] Eric Torres of Pitchfork comments that Montero helps "fulfills the promise of [turning Lil Nas X into] a new kind of pop star", mentioning that the album's contents are "radio-primed to work well beside Olivia Rodrigo's pop-punk or Doja's earworm rap".[34]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung called it "A breath of fresh air" and "one of those instant classics, packed with as many catchy jams as introspective musings."[37] Concluding the four-star review for Evening Standard, David Smyth stated that "From slinky pop rap on 'Scoop' to tortured rock on 'Life After Salem', he's doing it all, and against the odds, proving that he has a long bright career ahead."[49] At Clash Magazine, Laviea Thomas gave praise to the album, for being "one of 2021’s most daring, riveting, and honest pop statement[s]."[38]

NME's El Hunt was amongst the few reviewers to give a more divided opinion on the album, claiming that "Without visuals to add a knowing wink and a flourish of pop absurdity, it sometimes settles into a comfortable groove of trap-influenced drum beats, moody instrumentals, Frank Ocean-y electric guitars and percussive brass peals."[43] The Observer's Kitty Empire was also mildly critical, stating that she felt Lil Nas X "resorts to mainstream genre cliches rather than razing convention as he did on 'Old Town Road'."[50] Reviewing in his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau gave Montero a three-star honorable mention and named "Tales of Dominica", "Sun Goes Down", and "Scoop" as highlights, while summing up the release as "fluke country-rap meisterhitman croons songful enough gay pop bildungsalbum for a biz that has yet to generate enough of them".[51]

Year-end lists[]

Select year-end rankings of Montero
Publication List Rank Ref.
BBC The 10 Best Albums of 2021 N/A
[52]
Billboard The 50 Best Albums of 2021
3
[53]
Entertainment Weekly The 10 Best Albums of 2021
8
[54]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2021
14
[55]
The Independent The 40 Best Albums of 2021
6
[56]
Los Angeles Times The 10 Best Albums of 2021
4
[57]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2021
20
[58]
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Albums of 2021
6
[59]

Commercial performance[]

Montero was the most pre-added album on Apple Music two weeks preceding its release (August 27 to September 2, 2021), one place ahead of ABBA's Voyage (2021).[60][61] The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 126,000 equivalent units, of which 22,000 were pure album sales.[62][63] The album also spawned two Billboard Hot 100 hits: "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", which peaked at number 1 on April 10, 2021, and "Industry Baby", which peaked at number 1 on October 23, 2021. "That's What I Want" also reached the top ten, peaking at number nine on February 23, 2022.

Track listing[]

Montero track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Montero (Call Me by Your Name)"
2:18
2."Dead Right Now"
  • Hill
  • Baptiste
  • Biral
  • Jasper Harris
  • Thomas Levesque
  • Boo Nanny
  • Take a Daytrip
  • Harris
  • Levesque
3:41
3."Industry Baby" (with Jack Harlow)
  • Take a Daytrip
  • West
3:32
4."Thats What I Want"
2:23
5."The Art of Realization"
  • Hill
  • Baptiste
  • Biral
  • Lenzo
  • Take a Daytrip
  • Lenzo
0:24
6."Scoop" (featuring Doja Cat)
  • Take a Daytrip
  • Lenzo
  • Fedi
2:54
7."One of Me" (featuring Elton John)
  • John Cunningham
  • Sheff
  • John
2:42
8."Lost in the Citadel"
  • Hill
  • Cunningham
Cunningham2:50
9."Dolla Sign Slime" (featuring Megan Thee Stallion)
  • Take a Daytrip
  • Lee
2:25
10."Tales of Dominica"
  • Hill
  • Baptiste
  • Biral
  • Fedi
  • Lenzo
  • Take a Daytrip
  • Fedi
2:26
11."Sun Goes Down"
  • Hill
  • Baptiste
  • Biral
  • Fedi
  • Lenzo
  • Michael Olmo
  • Bach
  • Slatkin
  • Andrew Luce
  • Take a Daytrip
  • Fedi
  • Lenzo
2:48
12."Void"
  • Hill
  • Cunningham
  • Carter Lang
  • Cunningham
  • Lang
4:08
13."Dont Want It"
2:12
14."Life After Salem"
  • Hill
  • Cunningham
  • Sheff
  • Lang
  • Cunningham
  • Sheff
  • Lang
3:31
15."Am I Dreaming" (featuring Miley Cyrus)
  • Hill
  • Cyrus
  • Baptiste
  • Biral
  • Fedi
  • William Ward
  • Vincent Goodyer
  • Take a Daytrip
  • Fedi
3:03
Total length:41:17

Notes

  • Each song title is stylized in all caps, except the subtitle of "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)", which is in title caps.[64]

Sample credits

  • The chorus of "Dont Want It" contains a portion of the flow and lyrics from "Mockingbird" written by Eminem.[65]

Personnel[]

  • Montero Hill – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (1–3, 6, 8–11, 15), whistles (14)
  • Denzel Baptiste – bass, keyboards, programming (1–3, 6, 9–11, 13, 15); vocals (1–3, 6 9–11, 15), guitar (2), background vocals (3, 13)
  • David Biral – bass, keyboards, programming, (1–3, 6, 9–11, 13, 15); vocals (1–3, 6 9–11, 15), background vocals (13)
  • Omer Fedi – guitar (1, 4, 10, 11, 13, 15), vocals (1, 10, 11, 15), bass (4, 15); background vocals, drums, keyboards (4)
  • Roy Lenzo – programming (1, 6, 10), vocals (1, 6, 10, 11)
  • James Connor – background vocals (2)
  • Quishima S. Dixon – background vocals (2)
  • Cassandra R. Chism – background vocals (2)
  • Jason McGee and The Choir – choir (2)
  • Thomas James Levesque – horn, keyboards (2)
  • Jasper Harris – keyboards, strings (2)
  • Noel Goring – organ (2)
  • Jack Harlow – lead vocals, background vocals (3)
  • Nick Lee – horn (3, 9)
  • Raul Cubina – programming (3)
  • Ryan Svendsen – trumpet (3)
  • Maclean Porter – vocals (3, 6, 9)
  • KBeazy – background vocals, keyboards, programming (4)
  • Blake Slatkin – background vocals, keyboards, programming (4)
  • Ryan Tedder – background vocals, keyboards, programming (4)
  • Doja Cat - featured vocals, background vocals (6)
  • John Cunningham – bass, drums (7, 8, 12); guitar (7, 8, 12, 14), keyboards (8); piano, strings (12)
  • Jack Ward – cello (7, 8, 14, 15)
  • Ben Ward – double bass (7, 8, 10, 14)
  • Jasper Sheff – drum machine, piano (7); guitar (14)
  • Elton John – piano (7)
  • William K. Ward – strings (7, 8, 10–12, 14, 15)
  • 18yoman – strings (7, 8, 10–12, 14, 15)
  • Glenn Hopper – strings (7, 12, 14)
  • Megan Thee Stallion - featured vocals, background vocals (9)
  • Natalie Mavridis - violin (10)
  • Lydia Sawires – violin (10)
  • Harry Ward – violin (10, 11)
  • Freya Schack-Arnott – cello (11)
  • Nick Seeley – drums (11)
  • Carter Lang – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards (12, 14)
  • Drew Sliger – background vocals (13)
  • Jacques Morel – background vocals (13)
  • Hannah Storm – background vocals (13)
  • Mervin Hernandez – background vocals (13)
  • Delisa Shannon – background vocals (13)
  • Nick Mira – bass, keyboards, programming (13)
  • Jaden Wiggins – bass (13)
  • Martin Rodrigues – drums (13)
  • Dylan Wiggins – guitar (13)
  • Hello Yello – keyboards (13)
  • DT – keyboards (13)
  • Miley Cyrus – featured vocals, background vocals (15)
  • Ben Adler – violin (15)

Technical

  • Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer (1, 2, 5–10, 12–15)
  • Eric Lagg – mastering engineer (3, 11)
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer (4)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing engineer (1, 4, 7, 11)
  • Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco – mixing engineer (2, 3)
  • Nickie Jon Pabón – mixing engineer (3), recording engineer (3)
  • Denzel Baptiste – mixing engineer (5), recording engineer (1–3, 5–7, 9, 11, 13, 15)
  • David Biral – mixing engineer (5), recording engineer (6), assistant engineer (2, 3, 5–15)
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing engineer (6, 9, 10, 13)
  • Jon Castelli – mixing engineer (8)
  • Joe Visciano – mixing engineer (12, 14)
  • Roy Lenzo – recording engineer (1, 3, 6, 7, 11, 15)
  • Drew Sliger – recording engineer (2, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14), assistant engineer (1–3, 5, 7–15)
  • Blake Slatkin – recording engineer (4)
  • Ryan Tedder – recording engineer (4)
  • John Cunningham – recording engineer (7, 8, 12, 14)
  • Kuk Harrell – recording engineer (7, 11, 12, 15), vocal engineer (11)
  • Jelli Dorman – recording engineer (7, 10, 11, 12, 15)
  • Josh Deguzman – engineer (8)
  • John Hanes – engineer (11)
  • Mervin Hernandez – assistant engineer (1–3, 5–12, 14, 15)
  • David Dickenson – assistant engineer (1–3, 5–12, 14, 15)
  • Ashley Jackson – assistant engineer (2, 3)

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[98] Gold 10,000double-dagger
France (SNEP)[99] Gold 50,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[100] Gold 7,500double-dagger
Norway (IFPI Norway)[101] Platinum 20,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[102] Gold 10,000double-dagger
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[103] Platinum 20,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[104] Silver 60,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[105] Platinum 1,000,000double-dagger

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Release dates and formats for Montero
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various September 17, 2021
Columbia [64]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Madison III, Ira (May 4, 2021). "Lil Nas X is here to prove you wrong". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  2. ^ "Lil Nas X Says Miley Cyrus Doesn't 'Even Realize How Much of a Legend' She Is: 'I Really Admire Her'". People.
  3. ^ "Lil Nas X Talks 'Montero' Album, Shawn Mendes & His Biggest Musical Impacts". Elvis Duran and the Morning Show.
  4. ^ Ramli, Sofiana (September 3, 2019). "Lil Nas X wants to record "at least 70 songs" for his debut album". NME. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Street, Mikelle (March 25, 2021). "Watch Lil Nas X Give Satan a Lap Dance in 'Call Me By Your Name' Video". www.out.com. Pride Media. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Baska, Maggie (February 4, 2021). "Lil Nas X's teases long-awaited Call Me By Your Name single in new Super Bowl advert". PinkNews. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  7. ^ Daw, Stephen. "Lil Nas X Becomes a Michelangelo Painting, Announces 'Call Me by Your Name' Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Shaffer, Claire (March 26, 2021). "Lil Nas X Shares Unabashedly Queer Video for 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)'". Rolling Stone. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  9. ^ Mench, Chris. "Lil Nas X Addresses Suicidal Thoughts, Coming Out, & His History As A Barb On 'Sun Goes Down'". Genius. Genius Media Group Inc. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  10. ^ Shaffer, Claire (May 3, 2021). "Lil Nas X Will Perform a New Song on 'Saturday Night Live'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  11. ^ Shaffer, Claire (March 29, 2021). "Nike Sues Designer of Lil Nas X 'Satan Shoes'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Serrano, Athena. "'Industry Baby' Lil Nas X Found Guilty Of Being A Troll". MTV News. MTV, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  13. ^ Langford, Jackson (July 23, 2021). "Watch Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow escape prison in video for Kanye West-produced 'Industry Baby'". NME. NME, Media division of BandLab Technologies. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  14. ^ Wavvy, Mr (July 28, 2021). "Lil Nas X album Montero leaks online, featuring Sam Smith & Miley Cyrus". Cult MTL. Cult MTL. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  15. ^ "16 tracks off Lil Nas X's debut album have reportedly leaked online". Tone Deaf. The Brag Media. July 30, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  16. ^ Clark, Conor (August 26, 2021). "Lil Nas X confirms Montero album release date and teases new song". GAY TIMES. Gay Times Group. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  17. ^ "Lil Nas X Releases New Album Montero, New Video for 'That's What I Want'". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  18. ^ Richard, Will (March 27, 2021). "Lil Nas X confirms debut album title 'MONTERO'". NME. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Ferme, Antonio (July 29, 2021). "Lil Nas X Announces Debut Album 'Montero' With Marvel-Inspired Trailer". Variety. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Brandle, Lars (August 23, 2021). "Lil Nas X and Taco Bell Serve Up Partnership for 'Montero'". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021.
  21. ^ Zemler, Emily (August 26, 2021). "Lil Nas X Announces 'Montero' Release Date". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021.
  22. ^ Peters, Daniel (August 26, 2021). "Lil Nas X announces release date for debut album 'Montero', previews new song in trailer". NME. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021.
  23. ^ Lil Nas X [@lilnasx] (September 1, 2021). "'MONTERO'