Categories: Celebs

Lil Nas X Says “Be Delusional” While Dream Chasing In iHeartRadio Award Acceptance Speech

Lil Nas X left some winner words on stage at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards! The artist secured the award for ‘Male Artist of the Year’ on Tuesday night. During his acceptance speech, he told a story about his rise to fame that was met with heavy applause. At times during the two-minute moment, Lil Nas X even asked the crowd to stop cheering so he could wrap up his speech!

‘Male Artist Of The Year’ Acceptance Speech

Apparently, the rapper recently saw a TikTok video that encouraged viewers to “be delusional.”

At first, he didn’t understand the video. Then, he realized how much of his career path was rooted in being “delusional.”

“I wouldn’t be where I am right now, in my life and my career, if I weren’t delusional. Believing I could drop out of school and become an international success within a year. It’s delusional,” Lil Nas X said during the speech.

He continued on the same notion saying, “Believing that I could come out of the closet in the height of my career… to think that I could do that would be delusional!”

In between some of his sentiments, he asked the crowd to “let [him] finish” as they showered him with applause.

“To think that I could make a song about a man lusting after another man in a world where…” Lil Nas X said before the applause cut him off.

Following the roaring cheers, Lil Nas continued his speech. He said, “…in a world where it’s still legal in many places to be prosecuted and actually killed for being who you are, being gay. It’s delusional to think that song could be the number one song in the world.”

Stats On Stats For Lil Nas X

The artist broke into the industry with his hit track ‘Old Town Road.’ After country singer Billy Ray Cyrus joined the remix version, the song dominated the charts. It spent 19 weeks in the number one position on Billboard’s Hot 100 and ranked on this chart for 45 weeks total. Lil Nas X also reached number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and ‘Industry Baby’ featuring Jack Harlow.

“I just want to say, in general, it’s okay to be delusional when you’re chasing your dreams, when you have a vision in mind, you can be delusional,” X said.

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Cassandra Santiago

Cassandra Santiago is a multimedia journalist, editor, and editorial strategist with over a decade of experience shaping conversations across arts, entertainment, culture, and global news. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she has built a cross-platform career spanning newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital media. She joined The Shade Room five years ago and currently serves as a Senior Editor, where she leads editorial direction, oversees exclusive coverage, and trains and edits a team of writers. Cassandra has played a key role in developing high-impact content and editorial strategies for an audience of more than 30 million, contributing to platform growth, engagement, and monetization across multiple channels. In addition to her leadership role, she remains a daily contributor, with her articles generating more than 41 million views since 2023. Beyond The Shade Room, Cassandra offers freelance social media strategy services, speaks on the influence and impact of Black media at public panels, and owns Did It For You, an event design company in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. She is Poynter Institute–certified and was named to the DMV’s 35 Under 35 list in 2024.

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