Tanu Muino: shooting for the stars

Repped by UnderWonder Content, Tanu Muino is the creative force behind in an exciting new era of music videos, blending the possibilities of modern filmmaking with the fun choreography, striking styling, and electrifying energy that defined the promos of MTV's golden age. 

My life revolved around modelling, music, and fashion, and I was surrounded by friends who were musicians.

Whether it's Harry Styles flouncing flamboyantly at the circus, Post Malone channeling a mafia boss in an epic shoot-out, or Sam Smith serving outrageous outfits at an opulent house party, the Cuban-Ukranian director’s work is characterised by her eye for bold fashion and unfettered cinematic vision.  

Aged six, Muino relocated from Havana to a small city in Ukraine, where her childhood felt like a collision of two worlds. She attended a technical school where her education was math-focused, but she was also an avid MTV fan, obsessed with pop culture from an early age. “I never had a clear idea of what I wanted to be growing up. While other kids dreamed of being singers or doctors, I just knew I loved creative things,” she explains 

When I started directing in Ukraine with Monatik, I had total freedom—no rules, just pure art. 

She studied at an economics university in Ukraine, where she was involved in the extra-curricular performing arts community. “I even launched a fashion line called Jealousy,” she adds. “My life revolved around modelling, music, and fashion, and I was surrounded by friends who were musicians.” It was at this time that she started experimenting with photography, eventually styling shoots for top Ukrainian photographers. 

A love for dance, music and styling set the scene for Muino’s first venture into directing when her boyfriend, who was a musician, asked her to shoot a promo for him. Although she was just a photographer, she gave it a shot—and the video took off, she explains. “From there, more friends asked me to make their music videos, so I taught myself all the technical aspects, like editing and colour grading.”

She collaborated with many Ukrainian musicians in the years that followed, crediting her earlier creative evolution to one artist in particular – singer, songwriter, dancer and composer Monatik, for whom she’s helmed a staggering fourteen projects. “When I started directing in Ukraine with Monatik, I had total freedom—no rules, just pure art. The artist gave me amazing music, and I created whatever inspired me, bringing my ideas to life exactly as I imagined them.” 

Even with a smaller budget, we could still push boundaries and create crazy ideas.

Looking back on her time working in Ukraine, she speaks fondly of the flexible budgets and creative freedom that allowed her to bring her wildest visions to life. “Even with a smaller budget, we could still push boundaries and create crazy ideas. Back then, we could have 100 dancers, and everyone was super inspired to create. We had access to any location and collaborated to make it happen." 

Of course, it’s impossible to write about Muino without mentioning the viral 2021 sensation that was Montero, her provocative, VFX-loaded promo for American rapper Lil Nas X. Reappropriating biblical imagery, the film depicts the artist making love with a humanoid serpent in the Garden of Eden, seductively pole dancing his way into hell and giving the devil a rather graphic lap dance in Calvin Klein pants. 

Growing up, my taste was shaped by what I saw—different parts of the world, costumes, and cultures. It was inspiring, and the quality of music videos really influenced my taste. 

Unsurprisingly, Montero quickly blew up on the internet, receiving a mix of scathing reviews and adoration for its blasphemous imagery, human-blood-infused fake Nike trainers, and LGBTQ themes. Love it or hate it, Montero put Muino firmly on the Western music video map. Between 2021 and today, she’s collaborated with Doja Cat, Katy Perry, Elton John, Dua Lipa, and many more. To say she’s been busy would be an understatement. 

The director draws inspiration from the promos she loved watching on MTV in her youth, with Britney Spears’ I’m A Slave 4 U being a significant influence. "Growing up, my taste was shaped by what I saw—different parts of the world, costumes, and cultures. It was inspiring, and the quality of music videos really influenced my taste. Seeing diverse outfits and locations was a big part of that." She also credits movies that create immersive worlds and “pull you into another universe”, like The Matrix, or Baz Luhrmann’s films.  

I believe inspiration is essential, and when it’s there, the song and the visuals connect perfectly.

You need only watch a small selection of Muino’s work to notice her passion for architecture. “Wherever I travel, I buy architectural books and explore locations. Many of my videos are shot in real places I’ve scouted. I love finding unique spaces and using them in my work”. See, for example, the towering skyscrapers in Jenifer Lopez’ Can’t Get Enough, the Escher-esque diving towers framing Dua Lipa’s Illusion, or the presence of British brutalist building the Barbican in Harry Styles’ As It Was.  

However, she emphasises that the real inspiration behind her music videos must be the songs themselves – so much so that if a track doesn’t get her creative juices flowing, she’ll happily turn it down so another director can do it justice. “I don’t keep ideas in my pocket. If an idea comes, great. If not, I’m honest and say I don’t have one. I believe inspiration is essential, and when it’s there, the song and the visuals connect perfectly.” 

Not only was Montero a career-defining project for Muino, it was also one of the most challenging to date. It was the first time she’d directed a music video that heavily incorporated VFX – a feat in itself, considering the visuals are about 90% animated. “Imagine that as my first experience with it!” she exclaims. “It was crazy because I’d never done anything like that. We had to plan all the shots in advance.”  

 It was just pure inspiration, and I had the freedom to create as I imagined, like the music videos I used to watch on MTV.

As if that wasn’t hard enough, throw a false positive COVID test into the mix, and after months of meticulous preparation Muino found herself directing from her hotel room through a video call. “I was just shouting to everyone, I couldn’t see what they were all doing. And the team had never worked with me before. But on the second day, they realised the test was a false positive, so I could come on set to direct.”  

One of her favourite films to work on was Wild Side for Normani ft Cardi B., which blends dynamic camera movements, sensual dance and costumes, and oodles of backing dancers. "This video felt 100% me, from the sets to the editing and costumes. It was just pure inspiration, and I had the freedom to create as I imagined, like the music videos I used to watch on MTV.” 

If anyone in the industry knows people from Ukraine or can offer support, I encourage them to invite them to collaborate on their projects

Her recent collaboration with Lady Gaga, she notes, was an opportunity to stretch herself and direct in a different style. Far from the bright colours and pop-y dance sequences of her usual work, Disease is a dark, disturbing and gory narrative that leans heavily into the artist’s earlier aesthetics. 

Another shoot Muino will never forget was her first music video for Harry Styles, As It Was. The euphoria of working with one of her favourite artists was met with the devastating news of war breaking out in her home country. “It was a strange time—on the first day everything felt perfect, and by the second day, the war in Ukraine began. It was the best and worst few days of my life, but that video is still very special to me.”  

Muino still makes music videos in Ukraine, but the experience is unrecognisable from the utopia she described earlier in our interview. A recent shoot was overshadowed by multiple daily rushes to the shelters, with only moments to prepare. “You can still shoot there, but it’s not the priority right now. People’s main concern is survival. During one shoot, the artist’s child was at a school that got bombed. People still want to create art in Ukraine, but it’s not about the work now; it’s about finding inspiration to live."

I still believe music will always inspire. When a great song comes together with a powerful video, it can elevate the song’s meaning.

She urges the industry to support Ukrainian creatives in any way they can. “Ukraine has the most talented people I work with. They’re incredibly passionate. I always involve them in my projects. If anyone in the industry knows people from Ukraine or can offer support, I encourage them to invite them to collaborate on their projects.”