Lil Nas X/YouTube
- Lil Nas X revealed he struggled with learning how to pole dance for his "Montero" music video.
- "Even on the set of the video, the back of my legs were bleeding, but I had to finish," he said.
- Parents criticized the music video, while TikTok users turned its pole-dancing scene into a meme.
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Lil Nas X recently opened up about the choreographic struggles he faced while on the set of his "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" music video.
In an interview with Desos and Mero published on Sunday, the "Old Town Road" singer talked about the pain he suffered while trying to acquire exotic-dancing skills for one scene in the video for his No. 1 song.
"It hurt so much. Even on the set of the video, the back of my legs were bleeding, but I had to finish. I was like, 'I have to have this video and it has to be perfect,'" he said.
"And even learning how to do that, I walked out and I was like 'I can't do this, I give up.' And I was like 'Yo, we have to finish this, this video has to come together.'"
While the song's title is inspired by Luca Guadagnino's film "Call Me By Your Name," its music video is inspired by the Garden of Eden and Hell, and involves aspects of ancient Greek culture.
He can be seen in a facsimile of Ancient Greece before dancing down a pole to hell, where he then seduces Satan before killing him and taking his place as the prince of demons.
His pole-dancing descent to hell even became a TikTok meme, in which users made jokes about historic or mythological figures witnessing the moment or acted out their own fictional entrances into the afterlife.
However, the video, which now has over 7.4 million views, didn't appeal to everyone upon its release in March.
The 22-year-old faced backlash from parents who argued that the video seemed inappropriate for a singer whose breakout single, "Old Town Road," was widely beloved by children.
Lil Nas X defended himself at the time, saying, "I made the decision to create the music video. I am an adult. I am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children. that is your job."