(Screenshot via YouTube.)

Lesbian rapper Young M.A decided to be open about her sexuality because “life is too short.”

In an interview with The Fader, the 24-year-old says in her hometown New York City she was surrounded by gay people.

“Life is too short. I need to just be myself, express myself,” Young M.A says. “In New York City, it’s popular. I used to think to myself, Man, there’s a lot of gay people out here. And it had me comfortable, it was like, I can be myself! I used to still try to hide it, until it was really overwhelming — there were just too much girls attracted to me!”

Young M.A came onto the rap scene over the summer with her single, “OOOUUU,” which openly describes her attraction to women. The song has earned more than 175 million YouTube views. The widespread interest in her music is why Young M.A says she keeps working hard.

“I hear from all different people, not just people like me, or lesbians. It be straight people, it be grown men, it be grown women, people that have been sick or depressed that say, ‘Oh, you made me want to go do what I want to do for myself and chase my dreams.’ That’s my purpose,” Young M.A says.