Ukrainian director Tanu Muiño continues to up her game, collaborating with top international music stars. Her latest client is Lil Nas X.
Together with the U.S. rapper, Muiño co-directed his much-anticipated music video “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” released on March 26.
“What a journey! Can’t believe we made it!” Muiño wrote on Instagram on March 26. “Sending all my love to everybody who worked on this!”
Last year, the Ukrainian director with Cuban roots collaborated with Spanish pop star Rosalía and most recently directed U.S. rapper Cardi B’s latest viral hit, “Up”.
The story of the music video takes place in the fantasy land of Montero, named after Lil Nas X’s real name, Montero Lamar Hill, and is a place for him to freely embody his sexuality. The 21-year-old rapper came out as gay in 2019, challenging the hip hop’s macho culture.
All the characters in the video are played by the rapper himself, where he seduces, judges and kills his other characters.
With stunning colors and visuals, the piece shows Lil Nas X as Eve making out with an alien-like snake, as a prisoner shackled and stoned by Marie Antoinette-looking judges and as a pole dancer seducing the devil.
This was also the rapper’s directorial debut. He has been looking forward to the release of the song which was finished nearly a year ago.
“I wrote this song myself, co-directed the video and had to step way out of my comfort zone for this moment to take place tonight! I hope you guys love it!” Lil Nas X tweeted hours before the video was released.
The rapper also published an intimate letter to his 14-year-old self, in which he explains why he decided to make sexuality public, even though he promised himself he wouldn’t do so when he was a child.
“I know we promised to die with the secret, but this will open doors for many other queer people to simply exist,” he wrote on Instagram on March 26. “People will be angry, they will say I’m pushing an agenda. But the truth is, I am. The agenda to make people stay the fuck out of other people’s lives and stop dictating who they should be.”
