Lil Nas X has praised Adam Lambert for “the doors that him and people like him opened” for LGBTQ+ performers.
“I did thank him in person, actually,” the Old Town Road hitmaker told Heavy.
“I really appreciate all the love that he’s shown me and I definitely don’t take it for granted. And I appreciate all the doors that him and people like him opened.”
Lambert rose to fame on American Idol in 2009 and came out in an interview with Rolling Stone that same year.
Since then, he has tirelessly used his platform to advocate for and support the LGBTQ+ community.
When Lil Nas X shared a kiss with one of his backup dancers at the 2021 Black Entertainment Television Awards, Lambert said he “thought it was hot.”
“He’s really giving it to us,” he told Billboard at the time. “I think he is definitely like the gay pop star that is 2021 – he’s bold, he’s controversial, he’s pushing boundaries. That’s what we want our pop stars to do. It’s just taken this long to have it be a gay one.”
The rapper first rose to fame in 2019 following the success of his Old Town Road remix with Billy Ray Cyrus.
The song became the longest-running number one single in the US, spending 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and selling over 18 million units worldwide.
Lil Nas X’s highly anticipated debut album was released on 17 September 2021 and features collaborations from the likes of Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Elton John and Jack Harlow.
It debuted and peaked at number two in both the UK and US, with its singles also seeing a huge amount of commercial success all over the world.