Dear Gossips,

How are we at the second last month of the year? Already?! Since it’s that time of year, the annual best and “…of the year” lists are now coming out. WSJ. Magazine has released its Innovators issue last week and hosted a celebration, with several of their innovators in attendance, last night in New York.

Last year’s WSJ. Music Innovator was BTS. The Music Innovator this year is another disruptor, Lil Nas X. With the release of his debut album, Montero, Lil Nas X has moved beyond “Old Town Road” to become of the most successful and streamed artists in the world. He is unapologetic – about his queerness, about his origins, about his expression, in all forms, and he continues to relentlessly challenge the status quo.

And by status quo, it’s not just the Wall Street Journal world, but even in hip-hop, where homophobia persists and gay rappers remain in the minority. Lil Nas X is a minority, an outlier in so many domains. I think about this a lot – all his accomplishments, his tenacity and determination, but also how lonely it might be for someone who’s breaking through all these boundaries on their own. I don’t mean to be a downer, and obviously I adore him, his success has been thrilling. But oftentimes we forget that there is a cost to being an F.O.D. (First. Only. Different – courtesy Shonda Rhimes). So it’s just as important that as many awards as he collects, hopefully he’s also collecting just as much support, because this is a long game, there’s so much farther he still wants to go.

PS I LOVE his Thom Browne outfit from last night – and the dog purse!

Yours in gossip,

Lainey

Lil Nas X Gossip

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