LIL NAS X IS ALREADY ON TO THE NEXT

Since his splashy emergence on the scene in 2019, Columbia's Lil Nas X has redefined the mainstream. He sent A&R execs sprinting to this weird new app called TikTok, and he defied the naysayers' one-hit-wonder expectations. He mixed Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana samples with hip-hop beats and country songwriting, and he made it make sense. And most recently, he made it clear he belongs in the Grammy spotlight.

As a proudly out Black artist, Lil Nas X speaks to countless kids who didn’t feel seen for so long—and he has fun along the way with killer choreography, wildly imaginative visuals and a wicked-yet-playful sense of humor. He stands tall as an exemplar of rule-defying self-expression, and he stands up to narrow-minded bullies like conservative TV host Greg Kelly—while rocking a bejeweled, single-sleeved crop top.

Essentially, Lil Nas X does whatever the hell he wants, and he continues to get bigger. Now it looks like he's about to metamorphose once again, fueled by recent losses.

Though he dazzled on the Grammy stage—and was nominated for five awards, including Album, Record and Song of the Year—the star went home empty-handed. He’s not wasting time licking his wounds, however; he’s diving headfirst into album mode.

Not long after the proverbial curtain dropped on Sunday night’s show, Lil Nas X took to Instagram, writing, “0/5 grammys baby! let’s try again next year!” The very next day, he tweeted, “last night was my favorite performance yet, and a fun night in general. we lost all our grammys but that just means it’s time to go even harder!” A day after that, a fan account referenced something he said on the red carpet, tweeting that his next album “is gonna be more of a ‘turn up’ album.” Lil Nas X retweeted the account, adding that the set will be “something fun, something for the summertime, something for the girls to get ready and party to.”

Everybody loves LNX: Grammy-night moments with (left) Lady Gaga; (middle) Justin Bieber; and (l-r) managers Gee Roberson and Adam Leber, Sony Music chief Rob Stringer, Columbia boss Ron Perry, labelmate The Kid LAROI, Columbia EVP/GM Jen Mallory and Sony Music Publishing topper Jon Platt.

While it’s unlikely LNX will drop his second album in the next few months, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility—especially if he’s gunning to prove a point. He'd have to release something by September for new music to be eligible for the 2023 awards.

What does he have to do to nab a top-tier award? “Old Town Road” was the biggest song of 2019, and he still lost Record of the Year and Best New Artist in 2020. (He did, however, win in the Pop Duo Performance and Music Video categories.) There was tough competition, of course—Billie Eilish swept—and the Academy didn’t yet know if he was here to stay. Well, they must be certain by now. The Grammys fear the new, but if anyone has the electricity to jolt them awake, it’s this 22-year-old.

Keep an eye on Lil Nas X in the coming weeks—he might just go supernova.