What does 'reheated nachos' mean and where does the meme come from?

What does reheating nachos mean? Are we all suddenly (more) obsessed with Mexican cuisine than usual? And what does this all have to do with Lady Gaga?

These questions may well have crossed your mind in the past few days. But this internet meme has absolutely nothing to do with delicious leftovers, sorry to all the foodies out there.

Instead, it's trending phrase that has become the latest lingo for pop music fanatics. If you’re still stumped about the connection between nachos and music, fear not because we’re here to explain it all.

Nachos are very tasty, especially when they’re freshly made. But sometimes when you try to reheat them, they’re not quite as good compared to the first time around, but the dish still has the essence of the original.

Reheating nachos has become a metaphor for pop musicians who are very clearly inspired by an artist or trend that came before them, or a trend that they started but have since moved on from. In this sense, the original artist or trend are the fresh nachos, and the artist recreating or reinventing something iconic from the past are the reheated nachos.

The lingo stewed in “stan” circles on Twitter/X, a term that describes extremely dedicated fans of musicians. The "nachos" phrase originated from a scene in the reality show Baddies West in which Natalie Nunn was accused of secretly wanting Stunna Girl’s nachos.

People outside of pop music circles caught on to the "nachos" trend last weekend when Lady Gaga surprised fans with the release of her latest single and video for 'Abracadabra'. It has drawn favourable comparisons to her early work, such as 'Alejandro' and 'Bad Romance', because of its hardcore electronic beats, and the overall "rah rah" energy and clever wordplay in the chorus.

Some spectators said she reheated her own nachos, or simply put for the uninitiated, copied her old self. But the Little Monsters, a loving term used by Gaga to describe her fanbase, quickly defended the star and said she actually whipped up a whole new dish. Translation - she’s reinventing the music industry once again.

“She didn’t reheat her nachos, she went to the kitchen with Gordon Ramsey and made the chips from scratch,” one viral tweet said along with a clip from the Abracadabra music video.

Another fan declared: “She didn’t actually ‘reheat’ her nachos. She pulled out the original recipe she created, made them from scratch again, and it turns out they still taste delicious because the recipe was timeless.”

Just so we’re clear, Lady Gaga did not share a clip of herself reheating actual nachos. There are no nachos.

Pop’s latest phrase has also been associated with lots of other artists. Madonna is one of the few artists considered a 'tortilla base', a complimentary term for someone who starts trends and forms the foundations of the entire pop culture landscape. When FKA Twigs released her acclaimed album Eusexua last month, music lovers suggested the star had some 1990s Madonna nachos, or in layman's terms, was inspired by the queen of pop’s Ray of Light era.

Netizens are also using the term to describe newer artists taking inspiration from those who came before them. Grammys viewers came to the consensus that Benson Boone had reheated Harry Styles’ nachos by wearing a jumpsuit. Although the One Direction alum arguably reheated the nachos of Freddie Mercury and Prince.

And because we're all suckers for nostalgia, "reheating nachos" has become a simple way for music fans to manifest their favourite artists returning to past trends and genres they previously did. The food-inspired phrase is also taking over TV and film.

Check out some of the funniest reheating nachos memes below:

One meme focused on Doja Cat, while another looked at FKA Twigs.

Is Tate McRae 'reheating Nelly Furtado's nachos'? Yes, if this post is to be believed.

Euphoria fans are hoping the show reheats its own nachos.

Addison Rae and Selena Gomez fans have been getting in on the meme too.

One social media user wrote: "see how it’s never beyonce taking someone’s nachos or even reheating her own? she is the tortilla industry."

Elsewhere, 'Of course we'll have a look' TikTok trend is for all of the nosy people, and have a look at the ‘Montoya Por Favor’ meme that’s currently trending.

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