Elton John: Lil Nas X Has ‘Balls of Steel’ for Doing ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and ‘Industry Baby’
“Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby” are two of Lil Nas X‘s most famous songs. During an interview, Elton John said he told Lil Nas X he was a big fan of the songs’ music videos. John also revealed what he found so endearing about Lil Nas X in the first place.
Elton John feels he and Lil Nas X had similar experiences
John released an album called The Lockdown Sessions. Lil Nas X appears on a track from the album called “One of Me.” During an interview with NME, John was asked if the rapper faced some of the same challenges he faced in the music industry.
“Yeah,” John said somberly. “Absolutely. I was overjoyed that he came out when he put out ‘Old Town Road,’ and his outfits and everything like that immediately endeared him to me.”
Why Elton John likes Lil Nas X’s music videos for ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and ‘Industry Baby’ so much
John admired two of Lil Nas X’s music videos: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby.” “In a culture of hip-hop where it can be very homophobic, suddenly he was doing [the songs] ‘Montero’ and ‘Industry Baby,'” John said. “You look at the videos and go, ‘F****** hell! This is unbelievable!’ I just loved every second of it because it takes balls of steel, as I’ve said to him.”
John is a fan of the rapper’s music videos and his songs. “He is not just a great recording artist and lyric writer — he is a great visual artist; there are so many ideas that he has,” John opined. “He will go on to do many, many different things. I just admire him so much; he was a breath of fresh air coming in. It was like, ‘Yes!'”
The way the world reacted to ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and ‘Industry Baby’
Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby” were both big hits. “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” lasted 34 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, spending one of those weeks at No. 1. “Industry Baby” was on the chart for 21 weeks and lasted a week at the top of the chart. Both of the songs appeared on the rapper’s debut album, Montero. Montero reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 13 weeks.
The songs mentioned above were also popular in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, “Montero (Call My By Your Name)” reached No. 1 in the U.K., staying on the chart for 33 weeks. “Industry Baby” hit No. 3 in the U.K. and remained on the chart for 22 weeks. Montero reached No. 2 and lasted on the chart for 14 weeks. John is a fan of Lil Nas X — and it seems many listeners in the U.S. and the U.K. are as well.
