Orville Peck talks about his journey as an openly gay country musician

Since Orville Peck released his debut album, “Pony”, in 2019, he became popular among fans for his unique country sound, unpredictable lyrics and use of fringed masks to hide his identity. Many fans tried to find out his true identity, but Peck insisted that they could only know the real him through his music.

With a unique sound that has been compared to that of Elvis Presley, Peck is currently touring the world to promote “Bronco”, his second album. Although he wears many masks, the openly gay star sees no need to hide his sexuality.

“I’ve been dating since I was little,” he noted in an interview at the Arlington Theater. He said he was lucky to be accepted, “protected and loved” by his family. In an interview with Variety, he talked more about his journey as a gay country artist.

Keep scrolling to find out what he had to say.

Orville Peck was heartbroken

Peck spent 15 years in South Africa before moving with his family to Toronto. He was also trained in a ballet school and once appeared in a play in London. However, these were short-lived as his dream was to become a country musician.

Although they love his songs, fans believe most of them were inspired by heartbreak and failed relationships. He backed it up by noting that much of “Bronco” was inspired by heartbreak. He had just left a relationship, so he felt “depressed” and “uninspired”. So I forced myself to go to the studio every day for six to eight hours and work on new music.

He also talked about how inspired he was by cowboys and country style. “I saw them as these strong figures facing outward, but inside they were really sensitive and kind of heartbroken and maybe lonely.” He added, “but that was their power and their strength, rather than their weakness.”

Peck loves country music

Peck said in the interview that “All [he] ever wanted to do was be a country singer. He said: “I finally had the courage when I was 20 to put all the things I love together and do the thing.”

He showed how much he loves traditional country when he teamed up with country-pop star Shania Twain in 2020 on “Legends Never Die.” By Variety, Twain complimented Peck’s voice and personality. “There is something very rich in his voice that makes you want to hear more. When you hear Orville Peck sing his first word of a song, there’s no doubt it’s Orville Peck,” she said.

Peck appreciated Twain for his comments. He said: “I started getting a lot of messages and fan letters from gay, trans and queer people. They would send me really nice, heartfelt messages saying, “I live in Arkansas” or “My dad was a famous rodeo star…”. It’s a big priority for me, mainly because I now know how important it is to people who may not have had the same experience as me.

Peck On Queer Country Artists

Asked about his struggles as a queer country artist, Peck insisted it wasn’t as hard as people thought. “I’ve certainly received my fair share of reluctance, skepticism and aggression because I’m a gay man in the campaign world,” he said. “But I would say it’s a lot less than I think people might imagine.”

He also noted how happy he was that the country music space included a lot more queer people. Artists like Ty Herndon, Chely Wright, Billy Gilman and Brandi Carlile have become queer country artists over the years.

“We’ve always been there, but a lot of us are more mainstream now,” Peck said. “It’s only a matter of time for this to slowly break down the belief systems that some of these country fans have put in place, these kind of maybe bigoted ideas.”

“I think if we hold our heads up high and stick together and continue to do what we do and be authentic,” he continued, “I like to believe that hopefully will change. , not only will the country music landscape, but it will also help change the cycle of racism and homophobia.

Orville Peck’s future plans

In 2021, CMT Host and openly gay Cody Alan spoke about the future of queer country music artists. He noted how proud he was of Peck and said, “I think the future is so bright for Orville. One step leads to another, and we’re going to have more country artists coming out as queer from day one.

For now, many fans can’t wait to see Peck live as he continues his concert tour, which wraps up in August. It includes a spot in Pasadena at the Goldenvoice Palomino Festival in July. Many fans have also asked if he plans to take off his mask, but no clear answer has been given yet.

He did, however, reveal that he was considering a third album. “I wrote a song for her,” he says, “It’s the first love song I’ve ever written. I’ve never written about being in love. I haven’t never wrote Julia Johnson/Sony Music about heartbreak.