In the early 1990s, when I was part of the first South Asian LGBTQ+ group Trikone, the members went out of their way to reassure the community that they were not scary freaks. That is what is truly inspiring about Lil Nas. Best of all, he seemed to be having a great time doing it. It wasn’t just that he was openly gay but that he was upturning every rule about how to be gay and a star. It was in the weeks and months leading up to his new album, Montero, that I began taking startled note of him. I had not paid much attention when he became an unusual country music sensation in 2019 with his song Old Town Road-a teenaged black star in the very white world of country music in America. Is there a term for a middle-aged version of fanboy? Sometimes I am even tempted to write a comment on his post, a post that already has 22,42,583 likes. That’s why I find it utterly astonishing that in middle age I am suddenly following a 22-year-old singer on social media.
Pop music changes so fast that it quickly feels utterly pointless to try and keep up with what’s cool any more. Sometime in my early 20s, I stopped following the Grammys.
