Taylor Swift and Lil Nas X Almost Collaborated on a Song Together — Here’s Why It Never Came to Be

The two-time Grammy winner revealed that he and Swift were once “working on something,” but it didn’t come to fruition

Lil Nas X isn’t releasing a song with Taylor Swift unless it’s perfect!

The two-time Grammy winner, 25, caught up with E! News at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 27, where he detailed how he almost teamed up with Swift, 35, on one of her songs — but it ultimately never came to fruition.

“We were working on something,” Lil Nas X told the outlet. “She offered to let me try a verse on something, but I couldn’t catch a vibe for it, so it didn’t happen.”

After the “Industry Baby” musician revealed that he didn’t “even want to talk about” what could’ve been, he went on to praise Swift, saying “I’m proud of my girl.”

“I love the album. She’s been doing her thing. She’s at the very tippety top. I’m thankful that she even considered me.”

As for if fans can expect something in the future from the “Old Town Road” and “All Too Well” artists, Lil Nas X told E! that “when it happens… Global. World. Tay-Tay and Nassy.”

While Lil Nas X previously remained relatively tight-lipped about the potential collab, he hasn’t shied from his admiration for Swift on social media. According to multiple fan accounts, back in November, he posted a snap of a Midnights-themed calendar to his Instagram Stories.

As for his own calendar of events, the “Holiday” singer also spoke with PEOPLE at Thursday’s GLAAD Media Awards, where he shared some insight into his new era following the release of his March EP, Days Before Dreamboy.

“I wanna be myself more than ever this era,” Lil Nas X said. “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.”

He added, “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 recognize where I’m taking my energy and where I don’t want to take it.”

While speaking with PEOPLE, Lil Nas X also recalled feeling like he needed “everybody to like me before” — something he said he’s been able to let go of. “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,” he said. “I’m existing.”

Lil Nas X’s new project arrives nearly four years after his 2021 debut LP Montero, as he explained that he “had to experience a mundane life” during his time away. In the time between the album and new EP, he also released a handful of singles, several of which appear on Days Before Dreamboy, and he teamed up with Camila Cabello for the track “He Knows” last year.

“I jumped straight into adulthood with extreme fame around me,” he said this week. “So it was really nice to be just outside walking and meeting people in the streets and eating at restaurants, just even alone, spending a lot of alone time in solitude.”

Days Before Dreamboy is out now — and fans can expect Lil Nas X to be “out here in this world more than ever” in the months to come, as he told PEOPLE. “I’m gonna be outside 2025,” he said.