Lil Nas X Makes LGBTQ History With CMA Awards Win
Lil Nas X has definitely proven "ain't nobody tell him nothing!"
After "Old Town Road" became a massive hit this year, Lil Nas X music career has just seen a meteoric rise.
Just recently, "Old Town Road" -- a collaboration between Lil Nas X and country music singer and songwriter Billy Ray Cyrus - received a Country Music Association Award for Musical Event of the Year.
Moreover, not only did Nas and Cyrus win a prestigous and history-breaking award, but the track also beat out Garth Brooks' "Dive Bar" that featured Blake Shelton, and Maren Morris' "All My Favorite People."
In previous years, the same award has also been won by one-time country collaborations, such as Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert. Nas is one of most promising artist in the industry and winning the award for his collab with Billy Ray is an incredible milestone, considering that he is just 20 years old.
Winning the CMA award also made history, as Nas became the first openly gay black artist to win it. With that said, it is not only a personal achievement but also a big step for the LGBTQ community.
There were also LGBTQ artists who won such awards in the CMAs. Way back in 2014, Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark, who are both gays, also won an award for Song of the Year for "Follow Your Arrow."
Just as Nas got the news that he and Billy Ray won the award, he could not contain his happiness and wrote on Twitter saying: "LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
He also posted a photo on Instagram and captioned the photo: "FIRSTT COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD WIN!"
View this post on InstagramFIRST COUNTRY MUSIC AWARD WIN! ️ A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx) on Nov 13, 2019 at 5:46am PST
On the day of the ceremony, Lil Nas X spoke to USA Today and shared how happy and honored he was to have the award. He also expressed how grateful he is that the song was accepted and loved by many since it bridges two polar opposite music genres, mainly country and hip-hop.
Nas also added that he is happy for the love and respect he got for the song from everyone who supported him since day one.
"Old Town Road" was released in April this year. Since its launch, it has set a new precedent in mainstream music for LGBTQ artists. It then became the longest-running No. 1 single in the U.S. history in July and aced the Billboard charts top hits for a whopping 17 weeks.
Just last month, it was then made official that the song is the fastest in history to become a certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America after it reached a 10-million unit sale.
Nas revealed on BBC in July that he is thankful and proud that he was able to open doors to more diverse music for both country and hip-hop, where he could break the norms about LGBTQ. The wide significance of the song made every individual in the LGBTQ community feel accepted, not only in the music industry but also in the society we live in today.
