Lil Nas X has been breaking record after record this year.
Back in August, his debut single Old Town Road became the longest-running number one in history on the Billboard Hot 100.
It spent 19 consecutive weeks in the pole position, three weeks longer than the two previous record holder; One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men (1995–96); and Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber (2016).
During its reign, Lil Nas X came out as gay, becoming the first artist to do so while having a number one song.
Later, he became the second openly gay man, after Elton John, to earn a diamond-certification for a single. According to Billboard, Old Town Road has reached sales (and streaming equivalent sales) of 10 million units.
He also became the first gay artist to win Musical Event of the Year at the Country Music Awards.
Now, Lil Nas has earned seven nominations at the 2020 Grammy Awards, making history as the first openly gay rapper to be nominated in top categories such as: Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
He also earned nominations for: Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Music Video and Best Rap/Sung Performance.
Shortly after Lil Nas came out, he told BBC that he didn’t have anything to hide: “It’s something I was considering never doing, ever, taking to the grave. But I don’t wanna live my entire life – especially how I got to where I’m at, not doing what I wanna do.”
He said he wants to open doors for LGBTQ artists in country and hip-hop because “homosexuality is not accepted in either”.
Old Town Road is included on the star’s debut EP, 7, which also features collaborations with artists such as Cardi B and Travis Barker. It includes his sophomore single, Panini, which has so peaked at number five in the United States.
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