Lil Nas X Will Write a Song, Based on Your Cover Art, for Adobe

“Old Town Road” is so 2019.

Lil Nas X wants to write a new hit single. And he just might base that track on your artwork.

Developed with Pereira O’Dell, Adobe’s Cover Art Song Contest encourages young people (ages 13 and up) to create designs using Adobe Creative Cloud. Nas X will choose one grand-prize winner, who receives $10,000. And yes, he’ll will be dropping some beats based on that design.

In the dinosaur days of vinyl and CDs, cover art drew inspiration from the music inside the wrappers. This contest reverses that paradigm.

The man himself explains the deal in this video:

“Adobe had been exploring partnering with Lil Nas X, and as part of that process we were able to get some really unique ideas in front of him and his team,” POD executive creative director Jason Apaliski tells Muse. “The Cover Art Song Contest was the one everyone gravitated toward, as it felt very authentic to Lil Nas X.”

The initiative recalls Adobe’s Billie Eilish art contest last year, in which fans crafted visual interpretations of the artist’s debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? It drew 8,000 entries.

“For Lil Nas X we wanted to do something different that was tailored more to his own unique style and creative process,” Apaliski says. “Lil Nas X music is inspired by everything around him, from cartoons to candy, so we thought, Why not give his fans a chance to inspire him directly with their own creativity?”

The rapper began gaining recognition through his own internet initiatives, such as Nicki Minaj fan accounts on Twitter, and he used memes to promote “Old Town Road” before the tune began climbing the charts, ultimately spending a record 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The contest reflects that DIY spirit, Apaliski says.

Adobe has proven adept at promos designed to provide young consumers and influencers with product demos through fun campaigns and contests.

Along with the Nas X and Eilish competitions, other examples include an online film festival with all footage sourced from the Adobe’s stock library, and a recent BuzzFeed homepage takeover spotlighting 10 young creative “ambassadors.”

“These types of activations are a great way for people to explore the Suite and find different ways for them to tap into their own creativity,” Apaliski says. “We want to make sure people have all the tools, skills and know-how to make whatever they can imagine a reality. This will keep them coming back again and again whenever they are ready to make the leap and put their creativity out there.”

CREDITS

Client: Adobe
Global Vice President, Head of Marketing, Digital Media: Monte Lutz
Director, Marketing: Michi Alexander
Global Campaign Marketing Lead, Next Gen: Ellen Vanderwilt
Campaign Marketing Manager: Lexie Hartnett
Education Campaign Project Manager: Courtney Heatherington
Associate Creative Director: Sari Hamman
Social Media Strategist, Students: Rebecca Decker
Sr. Social Media Manager: Annie Radsliff

Agency: Pereira O’dell
Creative Chairman: PJ Pereira
Chief Creative Officer: Robert Lambrechts
Executive Creative Director: Jason Apaliski
Creative Director: Jean Morrow
Creative Director: Jason Rosenberg
Copywriter: Thomas Hodge
Art Director: Katie Coward
Designer: Carolina Penner

Senior Producer: Erin Sullivan
Director of Project Management: Lindsey Anderson
Director of Business Affairs: Camara Price

Chief Executive Officer: Andrew O’Dell
Managing Director: Natalie Nymark
Group Brand Director: Jessica Smith
Brand Manager: Kendall Richardson, Phoebe Kranefuss

Director of Brand Strategy: Sean Staley
Group Brand Strategy Director: Lenny Karpel
Brand Strategist: Kato Bisase
Communications Strategy Director: Breanne Brock
Social Strategist: Cristina Azanza

Production Credits

Director: Calmatic
Production Company: Prettybird
Executive Producer: Kerstin Emhoff
Line Producer: James Graves
Print Art: Bruno Menon

Barrelhouse
Director of Content Production: Josh Diaz
Content Producer: Lauren Gould
Editor & Mix Engineer: Joel Hopper
Production Coordinator: Monica Hyde
Colorist: Marshall Plante, Olio Creative
Graphics Artist: Brady Lowery

Media
Wavemaker