Ricky Montgomery and Anime Fandoms: A Review of “Boy Toy”
BY gitika sanjay (she/they)When singer-songwriter Ricky Montgomery performs his hit song “Mr. Loverman” live, he adds to the lyrics - an alteration that fans eagerly await and applaud.
Montgomery was already a seasoned musician when his songs began to blow up on social-media platform TikTok, but before he found his break, he was close to quitting music entirely. The 30-year-old musician grew up writing songs, but found limited success with the release of his first EP in 2016, entitled Montgomery Ricky. However, this all changed over the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to a viral Tiktok edit that uses Montgomery’s “Mr. Loverman.”
The edit itself is simple. Dialogue from the famed anime Banana Fish is interspersed through the song, framing the lyrics of “Mr. Loverman,” as part of a conversation between the show’s two protagonists, Ash Lynx and Eiji Okumura. Nearly overnight, though, it blew up within the Banana Fish fandom, skyrocketing Montgomery to fame and forever linking him to the show. Now, when he performs “Mr. Loverman”, Montgomery pays homage to the edit, reciting the dialogue from Banana Fish as he sings the chorus. Over the last two years, the song has also been used in edits for the anime series such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan. Now, Montgomery is once again turning to anime fandoms with the release of his newest single “Boy Toy,” an upbeat indie-pop tune that Montgomery described as “a song about accepting less than perfect situations…and other stuff!”
“Boy Toy” is, at its core, a dance song. Montgomery, along with producers Tommy English and Jeremy Hatcher, has side-stepped the ballads and acoustic guitar that defined his earlier works, opting instead to craft an upbeat mix of drums, bass, synthesizer, electric guitar, and layered vocals that will have audiences on their feet. Montgomery crafts the perfect buildup with the pre-chorus of “Boy Toy”: the song strips down to just drums and vocals, and then comes back in full-force with the chorus. However, as with the majority of Montgomery’s discography, the highlight is his vocals; Montgomery’s clear voice stands out amongst the instrumentals, especially when layered and harmonized. He’s also known for his narrative lyrics: in the song, he speaks of his willingness to be someone’s “boy toy”, but not in a self-deprecating or negative sense. Instead, Montgomery conveys a sense of acceptance about not being the “favorite” of his love interest but being with them regardless. In an Instagram post, he shared his thoughts on his lyricism, writing that the song is a “reminder to [himself] to let go of jealousy and perfectionism, and to instead enjoy life as it is.”
Prior to the release of “Boy Toy”, Montgomery posted a TikTok addressed to his fans within anime fandoms, requesting that they “do something with this song [Boy Toy] too.” Montgomery’s invitation led to a flood of edits from different shows using “Boy Toy”, mostly from the sports anime Sk8 the Infinity. Montgomery has since then featured multiple edits on his social media, which has both brought joy to anime fans and promoted the song itself. The artist has supported multiple Tiktoks using “Boy Toy”, including a Sk8 the Infinity edit that has garnered over 3000 likes in under a day. Montgomery commented “WE MADE IT” under the clip, which highlights Sk8 the Infinity characters Reki Kyan and Langa Hasegawa.
Montgomery’s fans, especially those who use his songs for edits, have taken special note of his representation of the LGBTQ+ community. For example, the official video for “Mr. Loverman” depicts a love story between Montgomery and a shapeless blue creature, left intentionally genderless. Director Angela Ricciardi commented on the choice with The Luna Collective, remarking that she hopes that “whoever is watching the music video [can] imagine their own love interest in the place of that character, regardless of their gender expression / identity.” This concept of fluid attraction is also reflected in “Boy Toy”, which Montgomery himself described as “pansexual.” Consequently, many of the edits using Montgomery’s song feature same-sex couples, which Montgomery has acknowledged several times in live shows and on social media platforms.
Montgomery’s “Boy Toy” is, at the end of the day, an unashamedly fun song, and fans are eager to hear more from the singer-songwriter. Montgomery is set to release his second full length album, “Rick,” on September 29 - so stay tuned!