Lil Nas X is ushering in a new era in his music career. The 24-year-old artist announced he will be releasing a brand new song, alongside official art and more, as early as next week.
He shared an illustrated image of himself with locs and a priest’s robe, doing the sign of the cross. The illustration is accompanied by the phrase, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the holy ghost.”
New song and visual next week! –
Official art dropping soon. –
🤍 [] pic.twitter.com/gIgdW8rAJR— ✟ (@LilNasX) January 3, 2024
Lil Nas X teased his fans on the upcoming project by referring to it as the “greatest comeback of all time” in a tweet.
lol im really bout to have the greatest comeback of all time. hope yall ready for next week. 🫡
— ✟ (@LilNasX) January 3, 2024
It appears as if the artist will keep playing with Christian imagery in this new era. Putting religious symbols into his art garnered him attention and controversy when he released his debut album, Montero, in 2021. Lil Nas X famously appeared as the devil in the music video for one of his lead singles, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” He also released a custom Nike shoe entitled “Satan shoes,” in collaboration with MSCHF, for which Nike sued him.
The Georgia native has been sharing hints about his next project and ushering in his self-proclaimed “Christian era.” He also provided snippets of an upcoming song on social media.
@lilnasx yall mind if i enter my christian era?
Lil Nas X, who is back to posting memes and the humorous takes on life he is known to share online, took time to reflect on his journey.
“I love this constant cycle the world has with me. When I started making music yall told me I was just another twitter rapper. Then I made the biggest song of all time,” he wrote. “Y’all called me a one-hit wonder. Then I dropped one of the most streamed albums of the year with 3 top 5 hits.”
“Now yall saying my new shit not finna do nothing. At some point, y’all gotta realize I am god’s favorite,” he added before sharing the date for Jan. 12, 2024.
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Lil Nas X also shared a symbol he had previously used in the rollout of his debut album. It is seen in some of the art he has posted and illustrations he has shared on social media. The artist previously had the symbol tattooed in November 2022 during a visit to Barcelona, Spain. He has yet to share what the symbol represents. Some believe it references his astrological sign, Aries, while others have speculated that it holds a deeply personal meaning to the performer.
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you said we’d understand what that symbol meant during the montero era but never explained
— 𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖈. 🦋 (@xomarajs) November 17, 2022
For music fans, this is reminiscent of Prince’s symbol, a combination of male and gender symbols. It represented the merging of the opposites and a sign of the artist’s gender-fluidity.
Lil Nas X has been unapologetic about his journey as a gay man and could have found inspiration in artwork from one of the greats. Only time will tell if he decides to share the meaning behind the symbol as he enters a new chapter in his career.
