Lil Nas X discusses his decision to come out.
Lil Nas X is one the biggest stars in the world right now. The success “Old Town Road” helped him have the longest-running #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the history the charts. The rapper released his project 7 that included the song “clo7sure” — a song that served as his ficial coming out announcement. Although there was some backlash, people showed him support and embraced him for being exactly who he is.
In a recent interview with Gayle King, Lil Nas X detailed the struggles he had with coming out and accepting his own sexual identity due to the pressures being a teenager. King asked the rapper when he initially found out that he was gay. He explained that he knew but it was in his teenage years when it really began impacting him.
“I knew, especially, like, around my teenage, like, years. You know, I would just, like, you know, pray, pray, and pray,” he said. “That it was, like, a phase,” he continued, adding that he wished “it would go away.”
Lil Nas X explained that it was easier being in the position he’s in but not everyone has that privilege. However, he does hope that whatever platform he’s given to speak on will ultimately be able to help anyone else who might be going through the same thing. “We still have a long way to go, because it’s not, like, everybody, is, like, messing with me now,” he said. “Somebody who’s, like, listenin’ to me in school right now, it’s, like, you know, you listening to you’re gay, ’cause you’re listening to him. So it’s, like, there’s still a lot to be done, course. But I do believe it’s helping.”
Lil Nas X’s full interview with Gayle King airs tomorrow on CBS.