On the last day of June (which is also Pride Month), Lil Nas X came out as gay. The “Old Town Road” hitmaker took to social media to highlight lyrics from his recent song “c7osure,” as well as the album art for his recent 7 EP, which includes a rainbow-striped building amongst its skyline imagery. Now, the vocalist has revealed more details behind his decision to come out publicly.
In a new new interview with BBC Breakfast, X said that he didn’t want to have “anything to hide” from fans. “I kind of revealed [it], you know?” he said. When asked to clarify what exactly he revealed, he said, “That I am gay.”
“It’s something I was considering never doing, ever—taking to the grave,” he continued. “But I don’t wanna live my entire life—especially how I got to where I’m at—not doing what I wanna do.”
He also said that both country music and hip-hop don’t have the best track record when it comes to LGBTQ+ acceptance. “Especially within the country and hip-hop communities, [homosexuality] is not really accepted in either,” he said. He also hopes that he’s “opening doors” for other LGBTQ+ musicians. Watch the clip below.
Old Town Road rapper @LilNasX has seen a backlash since he came out earlier this week – but he tells @BBCBreakfast he's taking it with a sense of humour. pic.twitter.com/9HT9Y4F8ft
— BBC News Entertainment (@BBCNewsEnts) July 5, 2019