''Montero'' (stylised in

all caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...

) is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Lil Nas X, released on September 17, 2021, by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. Five singles supported ''Montero'': the lead single "

Montero (Call Me by Your Name) "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" is a song by American rapper and singer Lil Nas X. First previewed in a Super Bowl LV commercial in February 2021, the song was released on March 26, 2021, through Columbia Records as the lead single and title ...

", " Sun Goes Down", "

Industry Baby "Industry Baby" is a song by American rappers Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, released on July 23, 2021, through Columbia Records. The song features co-production by American rapper and record producer Kanye West and production duo Take a Daytrip. I ...

", "

Thats What I Want "Thats What I Want" is a song by American rapper and singer Lil Nas X, released through Columbia Records on September 18, 2021, as the fourth single from his debut studio album ''Montero (album), Montero'' (2021). It is a pop rock song with ele ...

", and " Lost in the Citadel". "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and “Industry Baby” topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while "Thats What I Want" peaked within the top ten. The album has guest appearances from

Jack Harlow Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper from Louisville, Kentucky. He started his career in 2015 and released several EPs and mixtapes before he was signed to Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now in 201 ...

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat ( ), is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCloud as a teenager. Her song ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Megan Thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion (pronounced "Megan the Stallion"), is an American rapper and songwriter. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her ...

, and

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

. Musically, ''Montero'' is a

pop rap Pop rap (also known as pop hip-hop, hip pop, melodic hip-hop or melodic rap) is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstrea ...

record with influence from various other genres. It received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised its eclectic production and catchy songwriting. At the

64th Annual Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...

, it received a nomination for

Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

making his second consecutive nomination in the category, while "

" was nominated for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, Song of the Year and

Best Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Hon ...

, and "

" was nominated for

Best Melodic Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

, respectively. Lil Nas X also performed "Dead Right Now" during the ceremony. Commercially, the album topped the charts in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. It peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, also entering the top 10 in numerous other territories.

Background

In 2018, Lil Nas X released his song "

Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...

", which set a record for the longest-charting number-one song on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. However, with some people dismissing his success as a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

, Lil Nas X wanted to depart from the

country trap Country rap (or country hip hop and sometimes hick hop) is a fusion genre of popular music, blending country music with hip hop music, hip hop–style singing or rapping. History Prototypes Early influences on the emergence of country rap as a d ...

sound of "Old Town Road" when working on his debut album; instead, he focused on rap, pop, and R&B, influenced by

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

, and

. After releasing the EP '' 7'', he said he was working on an album, noting that it was going to be more personal. In early 2020, he asked

Take a Daytrip Take a Daytrip is an American record production and songwriting duo composed of Denzel Baptiste (born January 9, 1993) and David Biral (born February 22, 1993). They are best known for producing singles such as Sheck Wes' "Mo Bamba", Lil Nas X ...

, a production duo who helped with ''7'', to produce his debut album, and started recording a series of demos during the 2020

COVID-19 lockdowns Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...

. Months into production, Lil Nas X teased the album's lead single "

" on Twitter, with positive reception. The track was later teased again in a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

commercial for Swiss hardware manufacturer

Logitech Logitech International S.A. ( ; often shortened to Logi) is a Swiss multinational manufacturer of computer peripherals and software, with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Newark, California. The company has offices throughout Europe, ...

, before its release was announced publicly alongside a music video directed by the Ukrainian music video director

Tanu Muino Tetyana Robertivna Muinyo ( uk, Тетяна Робертівна Муїньо; born 7 December 1989), better known as Tanu Muino ( uk, Таня Муїньо, es, Tanu Muiño) is a Ukrainian music video director, designer, stylist, photographe ...

on March 26, 2021. The album's second single " Sun Goes Down" came shortly after on May 21, 2021, which followed the theme of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

seen in much of the final release. Both tracks were performed on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' just a day later on May 22, 2021. After the release of "

," the popular art collective

MSCHF MSCHF (pronounced "mischief") is an American art collective based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. MSCHF has produced a wide range of artworks, ranging from browser plugins to sneakers, physical products, social media channels and AI generate ...

partnered with Lil Nas X to release a modified version of the

Nike Air Max 97 The Nike Air Max 97 is part of the Nike Air Max line of shoes sold and released by Nike, Inc. Overview The Nike Air Max 97 was first released in 1997. The design of the shoe is commonly thought to be inspired by the bullet trains of Japan, but ...

dubbed

Satan Shoes Satan Shoes were a series of custom Nike Air Max 97 shoes, created in 2021 as a collaboration between musician Lil Nas X and MSCHF, an art collective. Their design and marketing gained controversy through prominent satanic imagery. Nike, Inc. sue ...

which were temporally available on MSCHF's website.

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

was quick to sue MSCHF, which lead to a court case that was settled a month later. As a promotional technique for the project's third single "

", Lil Nas X took to

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

to announce that a mock court hearing would be held on the single's release date on July 23, 2021. The announcement was bundled with a promotional video featuring a fake court hearing which acted as the precursor to the song's music video, directed by Christian Breslauer of the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

production company London Alley. An early version of the album was leaked with unfinished versions of songs online on July 27. Also, 13 songs were leaked by the same person that never made it to the final release. On August 26, 2021, Lil Nas X formally announced ''Montero'' in a promotional skit posted onto his

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel. In the promotional video, the track "

" was teased as the album's fourth single. On September 17, 2021, the song and its accompanying music video was released along with the rest of the project.

Sony Music Italy Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

released "Lost in the Citadel" for

radio airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

in Italy on April 8, 2022, as the album's fifth single.

Release and promotion

On March 26, 2021, following the release of "

", Lil Nas X announced the title of the album ''Montero'' on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, along with a 2021 release date. On June 29, 2021, a parody of the

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...

production logo was uploaded to

as a new trailer for the album featuring various clips from the music videos of his singles. On August 23, 2021, a partnership with

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...

to promote the album was announced, with Lil Nas X playing a role in "menu innovations". The album's release date was announced through another teaser video uploaded to YouTube on August 26, 2021. The video acted as a continuation of the music video for the third single "Industry Baby". The track listing was announced on September 1, 2021. Alongside the announcement, collaborations with

, and

were revealed. In early September of 2021, Lil Nas X participated in a fake

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...

photoshoot, with the supposed baby being his album. He was inspired to do so by

's verse on the track " Dolla Sign Slime". To accompany this, he created a "baby registry" which was used to gather donations for various

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

charities. The album cover was created by artists

Pilar Zeta Pilar Zeta is an Argentine multimedia artist, graphic designer, and creative director currently residing in the United States. She is best known for her surrealist album covers, mystical-futurism artwork and long-time partnership with British roc ...

and Charlotte Rutherford. ''Montero'' was released on September 17, 2021, by

. The album's launch was preceded by a livestream on YouTube showing Lil Nas X being interviewed by Montero, played by himself, on a fictional daytime

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

titled ''The Montero Show'', before being sent to the hospital in an emergency to "give birth to his album".

Tour

On April 26, 2022, Lil Nas X announced a concert tour to support the debut album, ''Montero.'' The tour, titled ''Long Live Montero Tour,'' will be his first headlining concert tour, and will begin on September 6, 2022 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, and conclude on November 17, 2022 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. Tickets for North American dates went on sale on April 29, with European dates to follow on May 6. Mobile payment service, Cash App, held pre-sales for North American dates on April 27 via

Ticketmaster Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Entert ...

. In early September 2022, the artist announced that he'll play an exclusive show in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The show is set at the

Hordern Pavilion Hordern Pavilion is a building located in Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the grounds of the old Sydney Showground. "The Hordern", as it is affectionally known by Sydneysiders, has been an architecturally and socially signif ...

on January 4, 2023.

Music and lyrics

''Montero'' has been described as a

record. Primarily rooted in hip-hop and pop, the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

-dominated album incorporates

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

beats and distorted

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

, and draws elements from 2000s R&B and stadium ballads.

Critical reception

''Montero'' received acclaim from music critics, who often commended its bold and heartfelt subject matter, and the eclectic production. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 85 based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Aggregator

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...

gave it 7.8 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Mike Wass of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praises how the project isn't shy to "give voice to the fears and longings of a generation of

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

kids", citing the project's lead single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" to be "one of the most defiantly queer chart-toppers of all time" and that the track ranks as "the ultimate

earworm An earworm, sometimes referred to as a brainworm, sticky music, stuck song syndrome, or, most commonly after earworms, Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI), is a catchy and/or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person ...

on the album". Meanwhile,

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis ( el, Αλέξης Πετρίδης; born 13 September 1971) is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for the UK newspaper ''The Guardian'', as well as a regular contributor to the magazine '' GQ''. In addition to his mus ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' gave the album a five-star review in which he praised the album's lyrics, variety and change in tone halfway through, while also noting the album rollout's use of

product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...

, citing prominent advertising for American fast-food giant

and the popular food delivery app

Uber Eats Uber Eats is an online food ordering and delivery platform launched by Uber in 2014. Meals are delivered by couriers using cars, scooters, bikes, or on foot. It is operational in over 6,000 cities across 45 countries as of 2021. The process of ...

. Melissa Ruggieri of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' highlighted the work of production duo

, praising how the duo "pilot his music through valleys of beats and peaks of melody" and how it leads to "a pleasant exploratory ride" throughout the duration of the project. Eric Torres of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' comments that ''Montero'' helps "fulfills the promise of urning Lil Nas X intoa new kind of pop star", mentioning that the album's contents are "radio-primed to work well beside

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs ''Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Music ...

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

or Doja's earworm rap". Reviewing the album for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Neil Z. Yeung called it "A breath of fresh air" and "one of those instant classics, packed with as many catchy jams as introspective musings." Concluding the four-star review for ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', David Smyth stated that "From slinky pop rap on 'Scoop' to tortured

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

on 'Life After Salem', he's doing it all, and against the odds, proving that he has a long bright career ahead." At ''

Clash Magazine ''Clash'' is a music and fashion magazine and website based in the United Kingdom. It is published four times a year by Music Republic Ltd, whose predecessor Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation. The magazine won the Best New Magazine award in ...

'', Laviea Thomas gave praise to the album, for being "one of 2021’s most daring, riveting, and honest pop statement " ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

's'' El Hunt was amongst the few reviewers to give a more divided opinion on the album, claiming that "Without visuals to add a knowing wink and a flourish of pop absurdity, it sometimes settles into a comfortable groove of trap-influenced drum beats, moody instrumentals,

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

-y electric guitars and percussive brass peals." ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

''s

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britai ...

was also mildly critical, stating that she felt Lil Nas X "resorts to mainstream genre cliches rather than razing convention as he did on '

'." Reviewing in his

Substack Substack is an American online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription newsletters. It allows writers to send digital newsletters directly to subscribers. Founded in 2017, Substack ...

-published "Consumer Guide" column,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

gave ''Montero'' a three-star honorable mention and named "Tales of Dominica", "Sun Goes Down", and "Scoop" as highlights, while summing up the release as "fluke country-rap meisterhitman croons songful enough gay pop

bildung ''Bildung'' (, "education", "formation", etc.) refers to the German tradition of self-cultivation (as related to the German for: creation, image, shape), wherein philosophy and education are linked in a manner that refers to a process of both pe ...

salbum for a biz that has yet to generate enough of them". In June 2022,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

ranked ''Montero'' #151 on its list of ''The 200 Greatest Rap Albums of All Time''.

Year-end lists

Commercial performance

''Montero'' was the most pre-added album on

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

two weeks preceding its release (August 27 to September 2, 2021), one place ahead of

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...

's ''

Voyage Voyage(s) or The Voyage may refer to: Literature *''Voyage : A Novel of 1896'', Sterling Hayden * ''Voyage'' (novel), a 1996 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter *''The Voyage'', Murray Bail * "The Voyage" (short story), a 1921 story by ...

'' (2021). The album debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 126,000 equivalent units, of which 22,000 were pure album sales. The album also spawned two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits: "

", which peaked at number 1 on April 10, 2021, and "

", which peaked at number 1 on October 23, 2021. " That's What I Want" also reached the top ten, peaking at number eight on April 2, 2022.

Track listing

Notes * denotes a producer who also produced the vocals * denoted additional producer * miscellaneous producer * vocal producer only * The chorus of "Dont Want It" contains a portion of the flow and lyrics from "

Mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. ...

" written by Eminem.

Credits

Musicians

* Montero Hill – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (1–3, 6, 8–11, 15), whistles (14) * Denzel Baptiste – bass, keyboards, programming (1–3, 6, 9–11, 13, 15); vocals (1–3, 6 9–11, 15), guitar (2), background vocals (3, 13) * David Biral – bass, keyboards, programming, (1–3, 6, 9–11, 13, 15); vocals (1–3, 6 9–11, 15), background vocals (13) *

Omer Fedi Omer Fedi ( he, עומר פדי; born 25 March 2000) is an Israeli record producer, songwriter and guitarist from Tel Aviv. He has co-written, produced and performed on " Mood" by 24kGoldn ft. Iann Dior, "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Na ...

– guitar (1, 4, 10, 11, 13, 15), vocals (1, 10, 11, 15), bass (4, 15); background vocals, drums, keyboards (4) * Roy Lenzo – programming (1, 6, 10), vocals (1, 6, 10, 11) *

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

– production, horns (3) * James Connor – background vocals (2) * Quishima S. Dixon – background vocals (2) * Cassandra R. Chism – background vocals (2) * Jason McGee and The Choir – choir (2) * Thomas James Levesque – horn, keyboards (2) * Jasper Harris – keyboards, strings (2) * Noel Goring – organ (2) *

– lead vocals, background vocals (3) * Nick Lee – horn (3, 9) * Raul Cubina – programming (3) * Ryan Svendsen – trumpet (3) * Maclean Porter – vocals (3, 6, 9) * KBeazy – background vocals, keyboards, programming (4) * Blake Slatkin – background vocals, keyboards, programming (4) *

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

– background vocals, keyboards, programming (4) *

- featured vocals, background vocals (6) * John Cunningham – bass, drums (7, 8, 12); guitar (7, 8, 12, 14), keyboards (8); piano, strings (12) * Jack Ward – cello (7, 8, 14, 15) * Ben Ward –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

(7, 8, 10, 14) * Jasper Sheff – drum machine, piano (7); guitar (14) *

– piano (7) * William K. Ward – strings (7, 8, 10–12, 14, 15) * 18yoman – strings (7, 8, 10–12, 14, 15) * Glenn Hopper – strings (7, 12, 14) *

- featured vocals, background vocals (9) * Natalie Mavridis - violin (10) * Lydia Sawires – violin (10) * Harry Ward – violin (10, 11) * Freya Schack-Arnott – cello (11) * Nick Seeley – drums (11) * Carter Lang – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards (12, 14) * Drew Sliger – background vocals (13) * Jacques Morel – background vocals (13) * Hannah Storm – background vocals (13) * Mervin Hernandez – background vocals (13) * Delisa Shannon – background vocals (13) *

Nick Mira Nicholas Warren Mira (born August 25, 2000) is an American record producer from Richmond, Virginia, who is part of the producer collective Internet Money, a record label he co-founded with fellow producer Taz Taylor. He gained notoriety for dev ...

– bass, keyboards, programming (13) * Jaden Wiggins – bass (13) * Martin Rodrigues – drums (13) * Dylan Wiggins – guitar (13) * Hello Yello – keyboards (13) * DT – keyboards (13) *

– featured vocals, background vocals (15) * Ben Adler – violin (15)

Technical

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...

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mastering engineer A mastering engineer is a person skilled in the practice of taking audio (typically musical content) that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distr ...

(1, 2, 5–10, 12–15) * Eric Lagg – mastering engineer (3, 11) *

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage the ...

– mastering engineer (4) *

Serban Ghenea Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...

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mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

(1, 4, 7, 11) * Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco – mixing engineer (2, 3) * Nickie Jon Pabón – mixing engineer (3), recording engineer (3) * Denzel Baptiste – mixing engineer (5),

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

(1–3, 5–7, 9, 11, 13, 15) * David Biral – mixing engineer (5), recording engineer (6), assistant engineer (2, 3, 5–15) *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

– mixing engineer (6, 9, 10, 13) * Jon Castelli – mixing engineer (8) *

Joe Visciano Joe Visciano is an American Grammy Award-winning, mixing engineer and audio engineer, based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Recognition *2015 Grammy Winner Album of the Year, ''Morning Phase'', Beck *2015 Grammy Winner Best Engineered A ...

– mixing engineer (12, 14) * Roy Lenzo – recording engineer (1, 3, 6, 7, 11, 15) * Drew Sliger – recording engineer (2, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14), assistant engineer (1–3, 5, 7–15) * Blake Slatkin – recording engineer (4) * Ryan Tedder – recording engineer (4) * John Cunningham – recording engineer (7, 8, 12, 14) *

Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In ...

– recording engineer (7, 11, 12, 15), vocal engineer (11) * Jelli Dorman – recording engineer (7, 10, 11, 12, 15) * Josh Deguzman – engineer (8) * John Hanes – engineer (11) * Mervin Hernandez – assistant engineer (1–3, 5–12, 14, 15) * David Dickenson – assistant engineer (1–3, 5–12, 14, 15) * Ashley Jackson – assistant engineer (2, 3)

Art & photography

– design and art direction * Charlotte Rutherford – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2021 debut albums Lil Nas X albums Albums produced by KBeaZy Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by Nick Mira Albums produced by Omer Fedi Albums produced by Ryan Tedder Albums produced by Take a Daytrip Columbia Records albums LGBT-related albums Pop-rap albums