Lil Nas X: ‘I prayed that being gay was just a phase’

US rapper Lil Nas X has said that when he was younger he hoped being gay was just “a phase”.

In an interview with CBS, the Old Town Road hitmaker says he knew as a teenager that he was gay and would “would just pray and pray” that his sexuality “would go away”.

In a teaser clip that aired on Monday, the rapper discusses his struggle with his sexuality.

But he acknowledges that his fame has made it easier for him to come out.

“Me being in this position, it’s easy for me.”

“But some little boy 10 miles from here, it’s not going to be good for him.”

Lil Nas X – real name Montero Lamar Hill – says there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of acceptance for the LGBT community in society.

“We still have a long way to go, because it’s not like everybody is messing with me now. ‘Of course somebody who’s listening to me in school right now, it’s like, ‘You’re gay, cause you’re listening to him.’ There’s still lot to be done.”

Public figures coming out will “always help” others who may be struggling in the same way, he adds.

Media captionLil Nas X felt like he was “opening doors for more people”

The viral rapper officially came out as gay in his song called c7osure, which was released in June.

He tweeted: “Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care…but before this month ends I want y’all to listen closely to c7osure,”

The tweet was posted on 30 June – the last day of this year’s global Pride Month.

The singer then posted a second tweet which focused on the artwork for the EP, zooming in on part of the artwork that is a rainbow – the symbol of gay pride.

He’s recently announced that he’s taking a break from music, cancelling two shows – but promising to “make it up” to his fans.