Collage of screenshots from the music video “Fanático” by Lali Espósito on YouTube, made by Global Voices.

Just days after its release, a music video with scathing lyrics and a catchy rhythm that denounces the harassment that the artist has been subjected to for more than a year by the Argentine president managed to enter the Top 5 most viewed videos in the world, and is number one in Argentina.

This is “Fanático,” the most recent single by Argentine singer, songwriter, actress and activist Lali Espósito, released at the end of September 2024 and with which she seems to ridicule the president and establish a political position of firm opposition to the government of Javier Milei, who has now been in office for ten months.

With a carefully crafted aesthetic — loaded with symbolism, humour and playful references to the artist's career, her activism and her fans — the video features a character with fake sideburns and a leather jacket who screams nonsensically, presumably Milei. It also makes numerous references — some more subtle than others — to the insults, accusations and hate speech that Espósito has received.

The lyrics of “Fanático,” simple and very mischievous, could easily be about any fan who becomes absurdly obsessed with their favorite star, but the images and the context of the confrontation between Milei and Espósito make the reference clear.

On August 13, 2023, when the result of the primary elections in favor of the libertarian candidate Javier Milei became known, Lali Espósito tweeted the words, “How dangerous. How sad.” Milei’s responses and attacks were not long in coming, and thus began an intense media confrontation similar to that of Donald Trump against Taylor Swift. 

Music and humour as political tools

The fact is that you have to know about Argentine culture, its recent political context and Lali Espósito's career trajectory to understand the references made in the video.

The scenes were filmed in a large warehouse, which may be a reference in itself, since Milei called her “Lali Depósito” (Lali Warehouse), as he claimed that the artist lived off public money in exchange for making propaganda for Kirchnerism. In this warehouse, Lali leads a casting session in which a motley crew of characters parades: fans who imitate her as some of the characters she played in kids and teen TV shows, and as a singer.

One of the people who shows up at the casting and who catches Lali’s attention is a rolinga (a Rolling Stones fan) wearing a T-shirt that says “Who the fuck is LALI?”, a reference to the T-shirt that Keith Richards wore when he taunted Mick Jagger. In addition, when they asked Milei about her, he was emphatic that he did not know her saying, “I only listen to the Rolling Stones.” 

Reference to the T-shirt in the video and Keith Richards’ original. Left: screenshot of the video “Fanático.” Fair use. Right: Image from docteurcarter on Flickr. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

A man who clearly resembles Milei also shows up at the fan casting. He screams and seems to lose his temper, whilst Lali seems bored with him. He is quickly pushed out of the scene, but shortly after he returns to continue screaming insistently despite the little attention anyone pays him, as if he were throwing a tantrum.

And who the fuck is Lali?

Mariana “Lali” Espósito, born in Buenos Aires in 1991, is a singer, songwriter, and actress who debuted on Argentine television aged just 10 years old. She took part in children's TV programs and series, continued acting in teen dramas, and has been the face of several ad campaigns. 

She played one of the characters in the 2021 Spanish Netflix series Sky Rojo, which received rave reviews in international media for addressing the problem of sex trafficking.

In terms of her musical career, she has collaborated on the soundtracks of TV series and a soap opera, and was part of Teen Angels, a pop band formed from an Argentine TV show, with whom she recorded six studio albums. In 2013, she began her career as a solo artist, though she has come to share the stage with great international figures of music and entertainment.

Lali Espósito during the Fénix Awards in 2018, with her green handkerchief, a symbol of the feminist fight for safe and legal abortion in Argentina. Image by Milton Martínez for secretaría de Cultura CDMX via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

As for her political side, from a very young age Lali has participated in numerous social awareness and justice campaigns alongside various foundations, NGOs and artists. She describes herself as a “feminist apprentice,” as she recognizes her own shortcomings and hypocrisies, and has set out to work on them to become an increasingly better feminist.

She is a member of the collective Actrices Argentinas (Argentine Actresses), created in 2018 to support the right to abortion in Argentina, and has been very consistent in her activism for this cause, which resulted in her being the target of many cyber-attacks, threats and harassment, including those of the current Argentine president.

In a context of increasing poverty, declining human rights and dissenting voices feeling increasingly threatened, the spicy humor in Lali's video fills her followers with laughter and optimism. And to the chagrin of her critics, it has enabled her to enter the Top 5 of most viewed videos worldwide for the first time.                                                              

En 3:07 minutos de Canción, Lali Espósito hizo y dijo mucho más que la oposición en 9 meses.

Gracias Reina.

— Nach & Pop (@Eunepetaculo) September 27, 2024

In 3:07 minutes of a song, Lali Espósito has done and said much more than the opposition has in 9 months.

Thank you Queen.

— Nach & Pop (@Eunepetaculo) September 27, 2024