Lil Nas X wanted to be liked by "everybody" at the beginning of his career

The 'Industry Baby' hitmaker told PEOPLE: "I wanna be myself more than ever this era.

"I want to be completely free out there, only doing the things that I wanna do. If I do not want to do it, I'm not doing it.

"If I don't want be there, I'm not gonna be there. I think it's more important than ever to really stand in myself and my power and recognise where I'm taking my energy and where I don't want to take it."

By contrast, Nas craved public acceptance earlier in his career.

The rap star - who plans to release his new album, 'Dreamboy', later this year - added: "When I started to let go of it more, I would still hold onto to it. And now I'm here and I'm just ... I'm showing up as me. I'm existing."

Last year, Nas admitted that he "felt like an imposter" when he began touring.

The rapper first found fame online and he's had to adjust to a new lifestyle since he began touring in 2022.

Nas - whose real name is Montero Hill - told the BBC: "In rehearsal it didn't feel like the real thing yet. I felt like I was going out there and putting on my best impression of a person [on tour]."

The 'Old Town Road' hitmaker initially struggled to cope with touring, admitting that he found performing on-stage to be a "weird" experience.

He shared: "I'd [ask myself], 'What am I doing up here? This doesn't feel right'. It wasn't like talking to people online. There were actual human beings in front of me. It was weird."

And despite his chart success, the music star is still eager to remain popular on social media apps like TikTok.

He said: "As far as pressure goes, you want to make sure [you have hits] because in the public eye, it gives a person value."