Lil Nas X announces 'World's Greatest' with voicemail from late mother

Lil Nas X will release his new single, “World’s Greatest,” on Oct. 1 at 12 p.m. ET, alongside its official music video. The release was confirmed by the artist in a social media post, as reported by Billboard.

He shared the news on Sept. 30 with a 44-second video of himself listening to a voicemail from his mother, Tamikia Hill. He listened without speaking. The clip plays her voice over a shot of him with headphones on.

In the message, Hill urges her son not to give up and to “walk by faith, not by sight.” Lil Nas X, whose birth name is Montero Hill, said that line was his mother’s favourite phrase and that she often used it when speaking to him.

Hill died in August. The post did not give further details about her death.

What makes this stand out is how directly the announcement is tied to that message. The voicemail is presented as the introduction to the single, rather than as a separate tribute.

The announcement follows a difficult period for the two-time Grammy winner. In June, he said he had spent a few months in rehab and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition that affects mood and energy levels, before entering a facility for mental health support.

He was later arrested and charged with four felonies after allegedly attacking police officers while walking naked on the streets of Los Angeles. He pleaded not guilty to the four counts and was released on bond, a payment made to stay out of custody before trial, in order to attend treatment, according to Billboard.

In August, he posted an Instagram Reel saying people had been kind to him since he left rehab. No further details about the criminal case or his treatment were included in the Sept. 30 post.