United Kingdom, March 29 -- Lil Nas X wanted to be liked by "everybody" at the beginning of his career.

The 25-year-old music star released his debut album, 'MONTERO', in 2021, but Nas feels he's now entered a new chapter in his life and he's got a completely new outlook, too.

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...