Lil Nas X says he was scared of losing fans by coming out as gay but was ‘pushed by the universe’

Lil Nas X said in a recent interview that he didn’t initially plan to come out as gay, in part due to his fear of alienating some of his fans.

The rapper, who went viral with his hit, Old Town Road, said he’d been taught from a young age that homosexuality “is never going to be OK,” and told Time magazine that he was afraid of losing fans if he came out.

“I know the people who listen to [country music] the most, and they’re not accepting of homosexuality,” said Lil Nas, whose hit single successfully combines elements of country and hip-hop.

Lil Nas told the magazine that Pride month ended up motivating him to open up about his sexuality.

“In June, I’m seeing Pride flags everywhere and seeing couples holding hands — little stuff like that,” the rapper said, adding, “I never would have [come out] if I wasn’t in a way pushed by the universe.”

After coming out to his father and sister, Lil Nas shared his news to Twitter near the end of June.

“Deadass thought I made it obvious,” the rapper tweeted, referencing a rainbow on one of his album covers. In a subsequent tweet, Lil Nas urged to listen closely to his song, c7osure, in which he seemingly alludes to his sexuality.

Despite Lil Nas’ fears, Old Town Road remains the longest-running number-one hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, despite being removed from Billboard’s country chart at first.

The rapper has seemed to embrace his decision to come out, tweeting in late July, “Wow man last year I was sleeping on my sister’s floor, had no money, struggling to get plays on my music, suffering from daily headaches, now I’m gay.”

wow man last year i was sleeping on my sisters floor, had no money, struggling to get plays on my music, suffering from daily headaches, now i’m gay.

— nope (@LilNasX) July 28, 2019