Lil Nas X: Overcoming the Battle Between Embracing Authenticity & Navigating Society's Expectations

Do you feel that you struggle with being authentic? 

Do you want to overcome the judgment of society's perceptions of what it means to be authentic? 

Today, Jay sits down with Lil Nas X. Lil Nas X is a 24-year-old award-winning rapper, singer, songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. Dubbed “an internationally recognized phenomenon” by Billboard, Lil Nas X rose to fame in 2019 when he released “Old Town Road” and shattered genre norms, disrupted the charts and went viral worldwide.  After a highly successful EP and several multi-platinum songs, Nas went on to release his critically acclaimed and GRAMMY-nominated debut album Montero in September 2021, which featured the culture-shifting 6x Platinum hit “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”. Following the release of Lil Nas X’s latest single “J CHRIST”, his beautiful new documentary, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, debuted this weekend on HBO and is available to stream now on Max.

In this vulnerable episode Lil Nas X shares his story from being a shy kid in Atlanta Georgie to achieving his wildest dreams. Lil Nas X has proven that there is power of self-awareness and embracing your true identity, even in the face of loss and grief. He shares with us personal stories that have shaped him into the person he is today, and the person he is working on becoming. 

The conversation navigates through fears, the misunderstood aspects of Lil Nas' message in his latest single, and the importance of cherishing time with family. They discuss spirituality, the quest for genuine love, dealing with a lack of control, and overcoming inner voices. 

In this interview, you'll learn:

• How to embrace authenticity
• How to deal with societal expectations
• How to be true to yourself
• How to genuinely believe in what you love to do
• How to make peace with your inner voice

Tune in for a thought-provoking and heartwarming conversation that validates our humanness, flaws and strengths, and our ability to overcome difficult times.

With Love and Gratitude,

Jay Shetty

What We Discuss:

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:42 Fascination for Time Traveling
• 03:55 Lil Nas X Helped Montero Morph Out of Being a Super Shy Kid  
• 07:04 There’s No Reason to Stop, Even You Mess Up
• 08:57 What’s Your Favorite Childhood Memory?
• 10:32 Becoming Self Aware and More In Tune with Your Sexuality
• 11:24 Losing a Loved One to Cancer
• 16:22 A Song About not Being Present When a Loved One Needed You So Much
• 17:39 Appreciating and Cherishing Time Spent with Family  
• 19:27 What Scares You the Most Right Now?
• 20:56 What Does Positive Chaos Look LIke?
• 22:14 The Part of Montero’s Message That Got Misunderstood
• 26:30 My Relationship with My Father
• 28:52 We All Have Our Own Ideals in Seeing Other People 
• 31:09 Freedom to Explore Your Spirituality
• 35:05 This One Being That’s Connected to Everything
• 36:28 Being Authentic and Relatable at the Same Time
• 38:37 Fully Open to Finding Real, Genuine Love
• 42:10 Overpowering the Voices in Your Head
• 45:23 The Ability to Recognize that Everything has Its Place
• 45:58 Allowing Your Younger Self to Grow 
• 47:35 Things that Haven’t Been Said to My Family Are in the Documentary
• 50:35 How to Help Others Work on Their Best Self
• 54:04 How Do We Deal with Our Lack of Control?
• 56:03 Why We Need to Relax Sometimes to Stay Sane
• 57:23 The Habit of Watching a Movie to Take a Break
• 59:34 What Are You Focusing on Over the Next 12 Months?
• 01:01:39 Do You Believe in Angel Numbers?
• 01:03:24 What Do You Do When You Can’t See the Signs?
• 01:05:11 Lil Nas X on Final Five

Episode Resources:

• Lil Nas X | Instagram
• Lil Nas X | Twitter
• Lil Nas X | YouTube
• Lil Nas X | TikTok
• Lil Nas X | Facebook
• Welcome to Montero

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.