Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Culture

MONTERO: A Popstar is Born

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at GSU chapter.

Lamar Montero Hill, more publicly known as Lil Nas X, released his debut album “MONTERO” on September 17. Born in Lithia Springs Georgia, LNX first got recognition with his single “Old Town Road ” which was released in 2018. A year later, through widespread promotion through social media, “the longest-leading No. 1 single in Hot 100 history, with an unprecedented 17 weeks on top.”  

Moving forward, the pop artist has had to fulfill expectations and prove to doubters that his position and newly acquired fame did not come with luck but with his passion and talent. Following the release of “Old Town Road ”, LNX released multiple remixes of the song and six singles before releasing the highly anticipated MONTERO.

The 15 track album features artists such as Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion, and Miley Cyrus. Each featured artist compliments Lil Nas X extremely well and provides different tones and music styles to allow the album to tap into a variety of emotions. 

His euphoric songs include “THATS WHAT I WANT,” “SCOOP,” and “DOLLA SIGN SLIME” which typically has listeners singing and dancing along. These songs are well mixed with a pop style while adding trap elements. 

Songs such as “DEAD RIGHT NOW,” “ONE OF ME,” and “TALES OF DOMINICA” are especially fundamental to Lil Nas X’s message of overcoming the overwhelming pressure and doubts he’s faced from society. While “SUN GOES DOWN,” “AM I DREAMING” and “LOST IN THE CITADEL” release more soul and share a somber mood. 

The beautiful thing about Lil Nas X’s music is it’s very versatile and crosses into multiple genres. Not only is he musically flexible but he focuses on conveying meaningful messages to his listeners about self-doubt/hatred, stress, anxiety, depression, and homosexuality. 

Overall based on its musical composition, promotion, and marketing the album deserves a solid 8.5/10. The music sensation Lil Nas X brings forth both humor and style to every piece of work he shares with society. He is only 22 and this is just the beginning of his breakthrough career. Fans and spectators will for sure see more of his music doing numbers and breaking records on charts as we’ve seen already.

Nia-Simone Sherwood is a journalism major at Georgia State University. Her interest includes playing the guitar, creating funny videos, and writing. Nia-Simone hopes to work with youth who are also interested in journalism and help build their journalistic skills.