Lil Nas X Called Out The Music Industry For Treating LGBTQ+ Artists Differently

Lil Nas X is no stranger to controversy. His inclusion of devil imagery in his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video stirred the pot, and he’s been called a bad role model by fellow musicians. Lil Nas X isn’t afraid to make unpopular choices, and he’s also consistently spoken his mind since making his debut. In a new interview, he called out homophobia in the music industry, in hopes he’ll pave the way for the industry to better support LGBTQ+ artists.

Lil Nas X sat down for an interview with CBS released on Jan. 2, and he talked all about his evolution as an artist. For him, this has meant taking criticism with a grain of salt. When asked if he’s “worried” about being his true self, he admitted the answer is yes.

"There was definitely some fear there,” he said. “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?"

Thankfully, he’s grown increasingly more comfortable in his own skin. "I feel like I'm definitely much more 'out there' with it," he said, admitting he’s been told to tone it down in the past. "It's always been, 'Okay, 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.'"

The singer went on to say that he has no problem taking risks with his art because he knows people will judge him either way.

"Well, you know the saying, you know, 'Gay people go to Hell,' or anybody in the LGBT community? So it's like, 'Okay, I'm goin' to Hell.' I went to Hell!" he said. "And now people are like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe he did that!' But wasn't I going there anyway? Why are you upset about that?"

Lil Nas X first found himself embroiled in controversy after the release of his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” music video, which depicted him giving Satan a lap dance. He caught flack again in March 2021 when he released an unofficial shoe line dubbed “Satan Shoes,” which resulted in a lawsuit from Nike.

Don’t go thinking the singer is changing his ways after a few speed bumps. As he told CBS, he’s going to continue to favor the bold. He said, "A lot of people are gonna be in their suits and stuff, but me, I'm going to be shining.”