Lil Nas X is doing some romantic talkin’. The “Montero” rapper opens up about his love life in his new VMAN cover story and shares that things are good — really good.
In a Q&A conducted by fellow queer artist Kevin Abstract, the discussion turns to the 22-year-old’s love life when the Brockhampton founder asked whether his romances have inspired his music.
Lil Nas X revealed that he’s currently dating, and in fact, had a date planned for “right after this interview.” He shared that he and his unnamed love interest “met around the time I was about to do the SNL thing” — he made his headline-making musical debut on Saturday Night Live in May — and that “we just started dating maybe two weeks ago.”
The pop/hip-hop star added that things are going well. Really well, in fact. “I feel like this is one of the best [relationships] yet,” he shared. “I’m really happy about it, and it all just feels natural. It’s effortless.”
In his recent Variety cover story, Lil Nas X had not-so-subtly hinted at how well his romantic life has been going. “I’ve had some good boyfriends and some bad ones,” he told the publication. “I’ve got someone special now … I think this is the one. I can’t explain it — it’s just a feeling.”
Lil Nas — who came out during Pride Month in 2019 — also shared with Abstract that he had his first boyfriend at around age 18 or 19. “It was very late, like, in college,” he explained. “I don’t even know if you can say ‘boyfriend’ if it’s very much of a ‘nobody knows about it, down low’ situation.”
He said that though he hasn’t written any music about that early experience in dating, “that sounds like a great song to write.”
On the topic of music, Lil Nas X shared that his debut album Montero, which does not yet have a release date, has been in the works for about two years, and things have changed significantly. “A lot of the songs I first played for you are not even part of the album anymore,” he admitted. “It’s been a long journey.”
And regarding that headline-grabbing video for the title track, in which the rapper — born Montero Lamar Hill — literally slides down a stripper pole to give Satan a lap dance? Lil Nas X shares that it wasn’t the easiest visual for his family to watch.
“My dad texted me the next morning. He was like, ‘I got through it.’ Almost as if it was a bad movie or something,” shared the artist, who was raised Christian. “The rest of my family, I don’t think everyone’s going to be 100 percent honest with me about how they felt. But a lot of them were understanding, to say the least.”
The “Sun Goes Down” singer also shared that Montero is going to really let fans get to know him. “The album is me inviting people into the world of me … into the world of Montero. The project gave me the opportunity to bravely show different parts of myself, parts that I may not have shown so open previously,” he said. “It’s really personal, but it’s also something everyone can listen to and relate to.”
“I want everyone to be left with feeling like they’ve learned more about me and through learning more about me, they’ve somehow learned more about themselves,” he continued. “I want the takeaway to be that it’s OK to be yourself, and I mean every aspect of your true self.”
