Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO” Scores #1 Billboard Debut

The old adage that “controversy sells” tends to hold as true as ever. In the case of Lil Nas X, who recently delivered his brand new single “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” complete with a sexually charged music video, a bit of hand-wringing has evidently worked in his favor.

By now the fallout of the infamous video is well documented; in case you missed it, the clip depicted a scantily-clad Lil Nas X giving a lapdance to none other than the Prince Of Darkness himself, Satan. Between the provocative subject matter and incorporation of religious imagery — not to mention the ensuing “Satan Shoe,” which went on to invoke the wrath of Nike’s legal eagles — “MONTERO” quickly became the most incendiary single of Lil Nas X’s young career. 

Lil Nas X

Jerritt Clark/Getty Images

Unsurprisingly, Billboard has indicated that Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” has debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, dethroning reigning champ Justin Bieber and his Daniel Caesar/Giveon-assisted “Peaches.” While the exact numbers have yet to land, the lofty number-one debut is further testament that Lil Nas X remains a dominant force in the realm of pop music, no longer destined to be defined by the looming shadow of the record-shattering “Old Town Road.”

Lil Nas X wasted little time in celebrating the accomplishment, sharing an amusing video on his Twitter page. Keep an eye out for the full chart update to surface, as it will be interesting to see whether “MONTERO” can remain a dominant commercial force now that the height of the controversy has faded. What do you think — will “MONTERO” continue to ride this momentum in the weeks to come?