For the last few years, Lil Nas X has carefully built up his public persona as a pop provocateur, master marketer and hilarious internet troll. But in a new clip, the rapper is stripping away all the facade and letting fans get to see the person underneath.
On Thursday (Jan. 18), Lil Nas X unveiled the trailer for Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, his new documentary set to premiere on Max on Jan. 27. In the trailer, the singer shares his struggle dealing with public perception as a seemingly controversial figure in the music industry. “Some people think my music is dope,” he says at the outset of the trailer, over clips of him recording music and performing on tour. “Some people see me as, like, this satanic devil. But me…?”
The trailer focuses on the star’s rocket to fame following the success of his breakthrough single “Old Town Road,” as well as his journey with coming out, releasing his debut album Montero and his relationship with his family, all set against the backdrop of his 2022 Long Live Montero Tour.
“So many queer people are making these huge strides, but it’s a fight,” he says in the trailer. “There’s still parts of myself that I’m learning to accept. But we’re getting closer.”
The documentary officially premiered at the Toronto Independent Film Festival in September 2023. According to a press release at the time, the film was “shot over the course of 60 days with unparalleled access” and follows Lil Nas on an “emotional odyssey through the creation and performance of the critically acclaimed Long Live Montero show.”
The new film comes on the heels of the rapper’s controversial new single “J CHRIST,” which received enough backlash to cause Lil Nas to release a video on his Instagram explaining his thought process behind the religious-themed music video. “I know I messed up really bad this time. I can act unbothered all I want, but it’s definitely taken a mental toll on me,” he said. “I’m not some evil demon guy trying to destroy everybody’s values and stuff like that. That’s not me.”
Check out the official trailer for Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero below:
