Lil Nas X, who's currently enjoying the benefits of having two songs in the top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100, has once again landed on the cover of a magazine.
In an extensive Billboardcover story chat with Joe Levy, X—who, it's worth pointing out again, now holds the record the longest-running Hot 100 hit in history—speaks on moving beyond "Old Town Road" and is asked if he's endured much nervousness in the months since that song placed him at the forefront of charts success.
After suggesting he felt no such thing during his well-publicized appearances at Stagecoach and during Miley Cyrus' 100 people-strong Glastonbury set, X again addressed his coming out message, noting that telling his father marked a "nerve-wracking" experience. “Just like, rip the Band-Aid off,” X said.
"It's something I never probably would have did if I was still living with my parents," he added. "I have that independence to do it, you know?"
Elsewhere, X talked about his consideration of buying up a house in Atlanta as his new apartment in Los Angeles is arguably too small for his two dogs. Stocking up on land, he said, is advice he got from "Old Town Road" collaborator Billy Ray Cyrus.
X also offered up commentary on the moment he realized the Nine Inch Nails x "Old Town Road" connection, as well as how writing his first song was inspired by boredom brought on after failing a college math course. Ironically, X's music would later serve as inspiration for kids in Birmingham, Alabama to ace a math test.
Read it all via Billboardright here.
The cover story was complemented with a special piece detailing the behind-the-scenes events that resulted in the charts genre controversy surrounding "Old Town Road." As X said, the hit is "a country trap song" that leans more prominently into the country side of that pairing.
The Billboard charts team also discussed the track's classification, stating they made a move they "felt was consistent" with how they'd handle other tracks they characterize as "borderline songs."
Meanwhile, X's "Panini" is currently at No. 14 on the Hot 100 and recently received a fan-pleasing remix assist from DaBaby:
