Billy Ray Cyrus would "die" for Lil Nas X.
Billy Ray Cyrus
The 58-year-old star has joked that he has "adopted" the 'Old Town Road' singer after working with him on their hit track and will "stand" with him until the end.
He said: "I have adopted Lil Nas X. I feel like I would die for that boy, I really would. I love him so much. I'm so proud of him, and I'll stand with him till the very end."
And Billy has praised Lil Nas X's ability to "take down some walls" in the music industry.
He added: "Beyond the love is the respect that you're looking at a man who used his mind, his human mind, to go somewhere and take down some walls in this music business that had never been taken down before."
The 'Achy Breaky Heart' star gave the 20-year-old singer some advice when he decided he wanted to come out to the world and reveal he was gay.
He told Us Weekly magazine: "There was a moment when Lil Nas actually said, 'I got to do this, and I got to do that.' And I said, 'Hey, you're Lil Nas X. You're your own person. You do what you got to do when you feel you got to do it. But you don't do anything. You stand still until you know exactly what you're going to do and how you want to do it.'"
Meanwhile, Lil Nas previously admitted his mammoth year "doesn't feel real".
Reflecting on his successful year, he said: "How does it feel? It still feels like everything else ... it doesn't feel real. It hasn't sunk it yet ... I'm happy [the song] has become a part of so many people's lives. Kids are going to grow up with that song and play it to remember these times, which makes me feel amazing. It'd never have made it out there without the meme culture that embraced it."
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