Lil Nas X Opens Up About 'Needing Everybody to Like Me Before' — and Feeling 'Free' to Stand in His 'Power' (Exclusive)

Now, more than ever, Lil Nas X knows what he wants.

Speaking with PEOPLE on the red carpet at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 27, the "Industry Baby" performer opened up about his new era — and why he no longer feels the need to please the masses.

"I wanna be myself more than ever this era," Lil Nas X, 25, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "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 continues, "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."

When asked what was holding back before, the "Holiday" singer recalls feeling like he needed "everybody to like me before."

"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," he says.

On Friday, March 28, Lil Nas X released his latest project, Days Before Dreamboy. The EP follows his 2021 release Montero. Since then, the singer-songwriter kept a relatively low profile and paused on releasing music — with the exception of his feature on Camila Cabello's C,XOXO track "He Knows" in May of last year, "Here We Go" in June and a series of singles that began in November.

"I had to experience a mundane life," the "Panini" singer says of his time away from the spotlight.

He adds, "I jumped straight into adulthood with extreme fame around me. 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."

Discussing his new approach to marketing his music, Lil Nas X says he's completely just doing me."

"I don't really give a f--- who's watching. I'm not trying to start anything. I'm not trying to step on toes. If it happens, it happens," he says.

Now, fans can expect Lil Nas X to be "out here in this world more than ever."

"I'm gonna be outside 2025," he says.

On Days Before Dreamboy, Lil Nas X collected all of his recent singles he's dropped since November, beginning with "Light Again" and "Need Dat Boy." To mark the release, Lil Nas X shared a screenshot of the EP on Instagram.

"ALBUM 1 MILLION PERCENT OTW! FOR NOW ENJOY DAYS BEFORE DREAMBOY EP!! OUT NOW!!!💞🫨🫨🫨," he captioned the post.

Days Before Dreamboy is out now.