If the chart predictors are correct, Lil Nas X is about to secure his second #1 single on Billboard‘s Hot 100. The 21-year-old musician’s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” is on pace to take the top spot on next week’s chart.
“Montero” has been at the center of controversy since its release on March 26. The song’s official music video was widely criticized in politically conservatives circles for its blatant satanic imagery and sexual content.
#Montero (Call Me By Your Name) by @LilNasX is currently projected to debut at #1 on the Hot 100 with a strong lead, bowing at #1 in US digital sales (excl. D2C) and streaming. pic.twitter.com/Qr35uO0X1N
— Talk of the Charts (@talkofthecharts) March 31, 2021
As of press time, “Montero” has amassed more than 63 million views on YouTube and more than 27 million plays on Spotify. The track also currently ranks in the Top 10 of Spotify’s daily Top 200 U.S. chart and Apple Music’s daily Top 100: USA chart.
The backlash to Lil Nas X’s latest offering likely helped draw more mainstream attention to the song and video. Last year, right-wing pundits’ negative reactions to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” also helped propel the p####-referencing collaboration to the peak of the Hot 100 chart.
If “Montero” does open at #1 on Billboard‘s weekly rankings of the most popular songs in America, Lil Nas X will add another chart-topper to his résumé. LNX’s 14x-Platinum-certified “Old Town Road” spent a record-breaking nineteen consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 in 2019.