In a new interview with CBS, Lil Nas X opened up about his coming out journey and shed some light on how LGBTQ+ artists are treated in the music industry.
During the sit, down with CBS correspondent Tracy Smith, the 22-year-old rapper said he decided to come out after debuting his 2019 smash hit “Old Town Road,” because it “would’ve been the most authentic time”.
“It’s like, I’m not doing it for attention,” he explained. “I’m already like the number one artist in the world right now.”
But when asked if he was worried about publicly being his true self, Nas said, “There was definitely some fear there. There’s always gonna be fear when you’re doing something that’s literally life-changing. But you just have to do it, you know?”
Since his coming out in June 2019, the “Sun Goes Down” singer has not been shy about his sexuality. Various music videos and album promos from his EP “Montero” illustrate a celebration of sex, acceptance, and queer love.
The album not only topped the Billboard charts at No.1 but also earned Lil Nas X five Grammy nominations, including the coveted Album of the Year category.
But Nas explained that expressing these themes is often met with opposition for LGBTQ+ artists in the music industry.
“I feel like I’m definitely much more ‘out there with it,” he said. “It’s always been, ‘OK, if you’re gay, this needs to be sanitized. Let’s not include anything sexual.’ It’s like, ‘Be gay without being gay. We don’t wanna know what happens behind closed doors, or we don’t want you to express that.’”
At the end of the day, Nas explains that when it comes to showing off his sexuality through his music, “I’m gonna do that if I want to. And I want every other artist to feel the same way.”
You can watch the complete CBS interview here.
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