Gay country star
Masked Singer Orville Peck on Being Openly Queer in Country Music: ‘We’ve Always Been There’
Orville Peck grew up in South Africa before moving to Toronto with his family when he was 15. A theater kid and a trained ballet dancer, he eventually headed to London and appeared in a play in the West Conclude. But his acting career was short-lived because his right passion was making music — land music.
“All I ever wanted to complete was be a country singer,” Peck says. “I finally got the courage when I was in my 20s to put all of the things I love together and just execute the dang thing.”
That included taking highest measures to obscure his identity. He’s far from the first entertainer to adopt a stage name, but not many have gone the extra mile and masked up — pre-COVID — in every moment of their universal lives. Peck’s collection of about 60 masks range from a rainbow assortment of brightly colored, bedazzled numbers to hard black leather pieces that would make the Village People blush. Of course, these steps don’t stand in the way of internet sleuths trying to discover his true identity, based on his preliminary ca
9 Canadian Country Artists Who Are Part Of The LGBTQ Community
Every June, people around the earth celebrate Pride month. It’s a hour to the uplift LGBTQ voices, mark LGBTQ culture and support LGBTQ rights. And it’s occasion that country harmony joined in the fun!
Country music has a historic reputation of being an unwelcoming space for artists who don’t fit the mould. As the years go on, this is slowly altering … thankfully! It’s so important to hear music from all perspectives, and all walks of life.
Earlier in 2021, T.J. Osborne from The Brothers Osborne came out. This made him the first openly gay artist signed to a major country label. A HUGE milestone for the country genre. And largely, audiences have been supportive. Of course, there’s the predictable negative comments. But all in all, the news was received well.
That alone shows progress. The proof that his label stood behind him, made it touch like it was different … that change was in the air.
Another indicator of change we noticed was that in the last couple years, there has been a consistent increase in people searching for gay country artists in Google. (Google h
It’s a great time to be a queer country music fan. Whether you’re a new devotee to Lil Nas X, Trixie Mattel and Orville Peck, or a longtime listener of sparkly rhinestone icons such as Dolly Parton, Lavender Country and Tomson Highway, big gay twangy summer is upon us.
Alberta’s Robert Adam has line-danced to the forefront of a new crop of queer country stars, earning a spot in the finals of Sirius XM’s Top Country contest. To help shed light on his new single “Moonlight Magic,” he shared some juicy details behind the song’s lyrics with Xtra.
“Back in my past when my family and my surrounding rural town looked down on me for my sexuality, I used to feel alive at night,” Adam explains. “When everyone else was asleep, there was no expectation of who or what I had to be.
“I would often meet other guys on dates in farmers’ fields or by lakes in the surrounding area,” he continues. “It was so thrilling and exhilarating because it was the commence of me connecting with my true self, which would eventually come out to play even in the daytime.
“This song is for anyone who needs to take off the mask or hat they wear during the day, and let their unrestrained hearts run wild!”&nb
11 Country Artists Who’ve Advance Out as Gay
Chely Wright was an absolute trailblazer when she revealed that she was gay in 2010. The country tune establishment wasn't quite ready to accept someone from the LGBTQ+ community then, and one could create a case that short-lived has changed even after nine more well-known stars have opened up.
Ty Herndon and Billy Gilman revealed they were gay during a groundbreaking five-hour stretch in November 2014. Since then there have been relatively few comings out — instead, news of an artist's preference came organically, or as a footnote in a biography — until TJ Osborne did so on Wednesday (Jan. 3).
That could be seen as a indicate of progress, if it meant these artists were enjoying equal success on the radio or other platforms. That has not been the case — count a pair of Top 40 airplay hits as the only radio achievements among the 11 artists listed below, not counting successes earned prior to coming out.
Two artists on this list symbolize real change to how the country music collective supports gay singers. One cleaned house at the 2019 Grammy Awards, while another notched the biggest song of 2019 in all genr