FKA twigs

FKA Twigs Thanks Lil Nas X For ‘Acknowledging The Inspiration “Cellophane” Gave You’

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Among the many controversies that surround Lil Nas X’s new song and video “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” one of involves accusations of plagiarism. Some people noticed large similarities between his video and FKA Twigs’ 2019 video for “Cellophane.” Lil Nas admitted to TIME that he took inspiration from FKA Twigs’ video for his own. “I wanted to see some things people have done in music videos with the pole—and I felt like twigs did a really amazing job at that,” he said. “I wanted to do my own take on it.”

Despite it all, Lil Nas and FKA Twigs are on good terms, as the latter revealed in an Instagram post that they cleared the air about their respective videos. “Thank you @lilnasx for our gentle honest conversations and for acknowledging the inspiration cellophane gave you and your creative team in creating your iconic video!” she said. “I think what you have done is amazing and i fully support your expression and bravery in pushing culture forward for the queer community. legend status.”

She also took a moment to address sex workers, Andrew Thomas Huang, who previously spoke about the similarities in the music videos, and Kelly Yvonne as they all played a role in creating her video.

“I want to thank @andrewthomashuang and @kelyvon for helping me create cellophane but also and most importantly i would like to thank sex workers and strippers for providing the physical language to make both videos possible,” FKA Twigs said. She then shared some news with her followers. “i have been working with @swarmhive to help support this community and i know all donations to the swarm hardship fund will be welcome during this difficult time.” SWARM (Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement) is a grassroots sex-worker-led collective “fighting criminalisation, supporting sex workers & engaging in solidarity across issues of justice,” as it reads in their Instagram bio.

The Director Of FKA Twigs’ Video For ‘Cellophane’ Responds To Claims That Lil Nas X Ripped Them Off

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Lil Nas X has pretty much had the entertainment world in the palm of his hands since he released his video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” last week. Think pieces from all over were written, but the singer is taking it all in stride, trolling his critics in response. Things worsened when he unveiled the footwear line “Satan Shoes” mere days after the song arrived, but even a lawsuit from Nike didn’t faze him.

There was one other piece of criticism: Some said the new video bore similarities to FKA Twigs’ 2019 video for “Cellophane,” namely the part where he descends to hell on a stripper pole. However, the director of FKA Twigs’ video, Andrew Thomas Huang, wasn’t so quick to accuse the “Old Town Road” singer of theft.

“I’m a fan of @LilNasX. “Old Town Road” is iconic,” Huang wrote over Twitter. “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, “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.”

Huang then discussed the work that was put into the “Cellophane” video. “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,” he said. “When an artist is in a position of power (amplified with the help of major record labels, social media, PR, etc) and repurposes someone’s labor and ideas to serve their brand image, they cause harm by displacing the efforts of the artists who did the original leg work.”

Huang then shifted his attention to major records labels like Columbia, to which Lil Nas is signed, and asked that they do a better job of enforcing artistic integrity with their creatives. “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,” he said, adding, “We can do better.”

FKA Twigs Fans Think Lil Nas X Ripped Her Off With His New ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ Video

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Last night, after months of Hype, Lil Nas X finally released his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video. Ahead of the premiere, he excitedly tweeted, “bro 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! F*CKK I CANT WAIT!!!” He later added, “can’t wait for you to see the video tonight! ITS AN EXPERIENCE!”

For some music fans, though, it was an experience they felt like they had seen before. Following the video’s debut, FKA Twigs became a trending topic on Twitter as people started point out perceived similarities between Nas’ new video and Twigs’ 2019 visual for “Cellophane.”

Twigs famously learned how to pole dance for her video and does so in mystical-looking environments, which is not unlike what Nas does in his clip. Some shared screenshots of frames from both videos that are strikingly similar. One user pointed out that Nas’s “Old Town Road” video won a Grammy over Twigs, which they felt added another layer of insult to Nas’ alleged plagiarism.

Check out some other reactions to Nas’ new “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video below.