First Lil Nas X fell from heaven, but now his track “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” is falling off of streaming platforms.
Fans went into a frenzy when they noticed the hit song was longer available on services such as Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube.
it’s happening on all the streaming services 😔 https://t.co/zZUx8U9ydz
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) April 13, 2021
The “Old Town Road” rapper sent out a tweet regarding the situation
“not even joking. everybody stream call me by your name hard today because it may no longer be available tomorrow and there’s nothing i can really do about it,” penned Lil Nas X.
He later advised fans to screen record the devilish music video so that they will have a copy once the song is permanently off platforms.
i got y’all💔 pic.twitter.com/MBQaLX7AM9
— 🥤 (@ImTrynaGoCrazy_) April 13, 2021
Columbia Records, Lil Nas X’ label, also spoke out on the issue.
“It’s unfortunately out of our control but we are doing everything possible to keep the song up on streaming services. We will keep you up to date as we hear more,” said the company on Twitter.
While it is a frustrating ordeal for fans and Lil Nas X, he is not blaming the streaming services. However, it is unclear why the song is being taken down.
“Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” recently become the #1 song in the world according to the Billboard Global 200.
WE DID IT GUYS! NUMBER 1 SONG IN THE WORLD! LETS GO BABY! 🏹🤍 pic.twitter.com/isXgFrQ3i3
— nope 🏹 (@LilNasX) April 12, 2021
Along with its success, the track has also received backlash from conservatives for the music video’s depiction of religious imagery. Lil Nas X released “Satan Shoes” in celebration of the song’s release. This led to a lawsuit with Nike for copyright infringement and the kicks were recalled.
The artist also received heat for similarities between the “Call Me By Your” music video and FKA Twigs’ video for her song “Cellophane.” However, Lil Nas X admitted to taking inspiration from the video and FKA Twigs was flattered.
While no streaming platforms have commented on the issue, Billboard says that they have confirmed the song is not being removed. With conflicting reports, and the song still unavailable on certain platforms, the future of “Montero” is unclear.
