Tanu Muino is the filmmaker on every artist’s wish list, following a string of hits for Lil Nas X, Cardi B and Rosalía. CR talked to him about making hit music videos, his love for Hieronymus Bosch, and why artists need to embrace the weird
Every year thousands of music videos are uploaded to the internet and for the most part they are watched, liked and probably not given much thought. It is therefore necessary to stop and notice when a phenomenon like Montero by Lil Nas X arrives on the scene. Currently racking up 161 million views, the film has garnered both praise and anger for its depictions of heaven and hell, which include the musician sliding down an endless pole to Hades to give the devil a lap dance. .
Tanu Muino was the Ukrainian director behind the video, which helped send her straight to the top of the music industry’s most wanted list. Before working with Lil Nas X, she had already directed and produced a long list of videos for artists from her home country, as well as films for Katy Perry, Cardi B and Rosalia – all of which exist in a universe as lavish and dreamlike as Montero.
