Lil Nas X Has a Special Connection to the Cyrus Family
Lil Nas X has become one of the biggest names in music in just a few short years. The Grammy-winning artist burst onto the scene in 2019 with his song “Old Town Road,” which ended up becoming the best-selling song of all time. He was able to do it with the help of Billy Ray Cyrus.
Lil Nas X rose to fame with the help of Billy Ray Cyrus
Lil Nas X first released “Old Town Road” in December 2018. The song slowly went viral on TikTok, and in April 2019, Billy Ray Cyrus hopped on a remix of the song. The version with Cyrus is what launched Lil Nas to stardom.
“Old Town Road” put Lil Nas X on the map and put both the worlds of country and hip-hop on notice. The song has sold over 15 million copies in the US — the first song in history to achieve that feat. It also set a new record for most weeks spent at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with a total of 19 weeks in the top spot.
Lil Nas X worked with Miley Cyrus on his album ‘Montero’
When it came time to record his debut album Montero, Lil Nas embraced many other sounds besides just country. He dabbled in pop, rock, and even emo. Throughout the album, he tells some very personal truths about his life and his upbringing, and ultimately finds happiness in celebrating himself.
The album ends with the touching track “Am I Dreaming,” a collaboration with Miley Cyrus. The song is deeply personal, and he was grateful to have Cyrus on the track. “You’ll always be my little baby!” she said about the rapper in an Instagram post. “Thank you for having me apart of your debut album! I love you!”
In a 2021 interview with Zane Lowe, Lil Nas expressed his gratitude for the Cyrus family — specifically Billy Ray — standing by him when many others in the industry wouldn’t. “They came and they were just all sweet to me,” he said honestly.
Lil Nas X’s relationship with Miley Cyrus
Lowe then asked Lil Nas about his relationship with Miley both before and after working together.
“Miley is just the sweetest person ever,” he said graciously. “And I feel like she’s one of those people that don’t everealize how impactful and how much of a legend they already are, and what they’ve done and what they’re doing right now.
“I really admire her and her ability to constantly change herself,” he continued. He also said that he sympathized with her having to discover herself in the spotlight after a predisposed identity — in this case, that of a Disney Channel star — was given to her. “That’s so hard to do, and I respect that.”
