ON THE COVER:
LIL NAS X

Columbia’s Lil Nas X is a true pop-culture unicorn, and over the last year he’s scored giant streaming and radio hits—“MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” and “INDUSTRY BABY”—and a chart monster with album MONTERO. Grammy rewarded him with five nominations, including Album, Record and Song of the Year. What’s more, the rapper has solidified his status as a gay icon with a fearless, freaky and fashionable approach to his image, as exemplified by the steamy holiday portrait on this issue’s cover. Still, it’s fair to say we’re the last thing Lil Nas hoped to find under his tree.