FKA twigs Addresses Accusations That Lil Nas X Ripped Off Her ‘Cellophane’ Music Video

Lil Nas X dropped his latest music video last week, and it made quite the splash — gaining specific attention from FKA twigs fans, who noticed some striking similarities between his music video and her 2019 video for Cellophane.

Both the Cellophane and the Montero (Call Me By Your Name) videos feature the artists performing impressive pole dancing routines, while both also include an angelic figure appearing from above before each respective artist propels into Hell, or a representation of the Netherworld:

Cellophane director Andrew Thomas Huang addressed the similarities on Twitter following outrage from fans — urging those in the music industry to “respect directors, uphold artistic accountability and honor the ingenuity of artists dedicating their blood sweat and tears to imagine better futures amidst a broken industry.”

Images are also expensive to make. Years of work went into the creation of “Cellophane,” from physical training to the emotional labor of unpacking Twigs’ life to construct images told her story of trauma and recovery. “Cellophane” was a confession in the most vulnerable sense.

— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021

Intentional or not, copying other artists’ work happens. Making music videos is a labor of love. The demand for content pushed by major labels renders our work disposable and pits artists against each other.

— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021

I urge the music community, particularly major record labels like @ColumbiaRecords to respect directors, uphold artistic accountability and honor the ingenuity of artists dedicating their blood sweat and tears to imagine better futures amidst a broken industry. We can do better.

— Andrew Thomas Huang (@Andrew_T_Huang) March 28, 2021

Lil Nas X, whose given name is Montero Lamar Hill, later responded in an Instagram post, also revealing that FKA twigs, given name Tahliah Debrett Barnett, called him to address the situation.

“I want to show love to @fkatwigs & @andrewthomashuang ! the “cellophane” visual is a masterpiece. i was not aware that the visual would serve as inspiration for those who worked on the effects of my video. i want to say thank u to twigs for calling me and informing me about the similarities between the two videos, as i was not aware they were so close,” Lil Nas X wrote alongside a clip from the Cellophane video.

“Was only excited for the video to come out. i understand how hard you worked to bring this visual to life. you deserve so much more love and praise.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx)

FKA twigs later responded, clarifying that there is no love lost between the artists and thanking “sex workers and strippers for providing the physical language to make both videos possible.”

 

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A post shared by FKA twigs (@fkatwigs)

“Thank you @lilnasx for our gentle honest conversations and for acknowledging the inspiration cellophane gave you and your creative team in creating your iconic video! i think what you have done is amazing and i fully support your expression and bravery in pushing culture forward for the queer community. legend status,” she wrote in her caption.

“I want to thank @andrewthomashuang and @kelyvon for helping me create cellophane but also and most importantly i would like to thank sex workers and strippers for providing the physical language to make both videos possible. i have been working with @swarmhive to help support this community and i know all donations to the swarm hardship fund will be welcome during this difficult time. link in bio x.”

Watch both videos above, via YouTube.