Tanu Muino on making music videos bigger, better and weirder
Tanu Muino is the filmmaker on every artist’s wishlist, following a string of hits for Lil Nas X, Cardi B and Rosalía. CR spoke with her about making blockbuster music vids, her love of Hieronymus Bosch, and why artists need to embrace the bizarre
Every year, thousands of music videos are uploaded to the internet, and for the most part they’re watched, enjoyed, and probably not given much further thought. So you have to stop and take notice when a phenomenon like Lil Nas X’s Montero arrives on the scene. Currently standing at 161 million views, the film has drawn praise and anger alike 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 has helped send her straight to the top of the music industry’s most wanted list. Prior to working with Lil Nas X she’d already directed and produced a long list of videos for artists in her home country, as well as films for Katy Perry, Cardi B and Rosalía – all of which exist in a similarly lavish, compellingly dreamlike universe as Montero.