Montero (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Nas X, released on September 17, 2021, by Columbia Records.

The album has guest appearances from Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion, and Miley Cyrus, while its production was primarily helmed by frequent collaborators Take A Daytrip, as well as Ryan Tedder, Tom Levesque, Kanye West, Nick Mira and Carter Lang, among others.

[1] However, with some people dismissing his success as a one-hit wonder, Lil Nas X wanted to depart from the country trap sound of "Old Town Road" when working on his debut album; instead, he focused on rap, pop, and R&B, influenced by Drake, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Doja Cat.

[4] In early 2020, he asked Take a Daytrip, a production duo who helped with 7, to produce his debut album, and started recording a series of demos during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns.

Months into production, Lil Nas X teased the album's lead single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" on Twitter, with positive reception.

[19] On June 29, 2021, a parody of the Marvel Studios production logo was uploaded to YouTube as a new trailer for the album featuring various clips from the music videos of his singles.

[38][39][1][40] Primarily rooted in hip-hop and pop, the hook-dominated album incorporates trap beats and distorted hard rock, and draws elements from 2000s R&B and stadium ballads.

[54] Eric Torres of Pitchfork comments that Montero helps "fulfills the promise of [turning Lil Nas X into] a new kind of pop star", mentioning that the album's contents are "radio-primed to work well beside Olivia Rodrigo's pop-punk or Doja's earworm rap".

[39] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung called it "A breath of fresh air" and "one of those instant classics, packed with as many catchy jams as introspective musings.

"[43] Concluding the four-star review for Evening Standard, David Smyth stated that "From slinky pop rap on 'Scoop' to tortured rock on 'Life After Salem', he's doing it all, and against the odds, proving that he has a long bright career ahead.

"[44] NME's El Hunt was amongst the few reviewers to give a more divided opinion on the album, claiming that "Without visuals to add a knowing wink and a flourish of pop absurdity, it sometimes settles into a comfortable groove of trap-influenced drum beats, moody instrumentals, Frank Ocean-y electric guitars and percussive brass peals.

"[49] The Observer's Kitty Empire was also mildly critical, stating that she felt Lil Nas X "resorts to mainstream genre cliches rather than razing convention as he did on 'Old Town Road'.

"[56] Reviewing in his "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau gave Montero a three-star honorable mention and named "Tales of Dominica", "Sun Goes Down", and "Scoop" as highlights, while summing up the release as "fluke country-rap meisterhitman croons songful enough gay pop bildungsalbum for a biz that has yet to generate enough of them".

[58] Montero was the most pre-added album on Apple Music two weeks preceding its release (August 27 to September 2, 2021), one place ahead of ABBA's Voyage (2021).