Watch Lil Nas X Go Back to the Future With ‘Panini’ Performance on ‘Ellen’

Lil Nas X conjured the futuristic cityscapes of his “Panini” video on Ellen Monday, performing the song against a backdrop of sparkling buildings and neon-lit screens.

The rapper-singer recruited a full band for the daytime TV slot, adding a more rock-oriented touch to the trap-pop track. Between the song’s whistled hooks and sleek synths, a live drummer pounded out tumbling tom fills and an electric guitarist played heavy power chords and dramatic leads.

“Panini” appears on Lil Nas X’s June-issued debut EP 7 and marks his second single, following his breakout Number One hit “Old Town Road.” Lil Nas X recently recruited rapper DaBaby for a “Panini” remix, which was paired with an animated video.

After releasing “Panini,” Lil Nas X clarified on Twitter that the song interpolates parts of Nirvana’s grunge anthem “In Bloom.” During an interview with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, he noted that writing the song introduced him to the band’s 1991 LP, Nevermind.

“A lot of songs will even come to me [when] I’m sleeping or something,” he told Lowe. “Like a melody. And I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s fly.’ But the craziest thing about ‘Panini’ is it introduced me to Nirvana’s album Nevermind. I always seen the cover, but I never actually listened to it.”