Gay country and western singers
“The main stories in territory are loneliness, heartbreak, disappointment, unrequited love,” remarked Orville Peck, the fringe-masked crooner at the forefront of the genre’s LGBTQ verb. “I think that those are things that are felt by almost every queer person at some point in their lives, and sometimes for a long part of our lives.” However, it’s only in the streaming age that the Nashville scene has started to embrace that country music and queerness don’t need to be mutually exclusive terms.
With traditional media no longer able to serve as gatekeepers, a whole world of country artists who don’t fit the heteronormative mold have been capable to get their tune, and their message, out there to the masses. Everyone from non-binary singer-songwriter Paisley Fields to trans artist Mya Byrne to Black queer twin duo The Kentucky Gentlemen possess built up loyal followings, though without much mainstream recognition. In addition to her other roles as a television star, makeup company owner, bar and motel proprietor, DJ, podcaster, and YouTube sensation, Trixie Mattel has become th
It’s a great time to be a queer land 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 competition. 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 start of me connecting with my correct self, which would eventually come out to verb even in the daytime.
“This song is for anyone who
LGBTQ Country & Western Singers
The Country & Western music genre is historically considered a right wing, conservative branch of tune that shuns any notion of same-sex attraction, both in terms of its lyrical content and the recognition accorded its LGBTQ singers/songwriters. Over the last few years, however, there has been a growing presence of prominent and successful LGBTQ artists appearing on the scene. In addition, a strong group of allies within the entertainment community has stood up for LGBTQ equality within the profession.
Early entrants to the State & Western music scene who came out as LGBTQ had a adj time of it. Marsha Stevens was shunned by her community when she divorced her husband and came out as lesbian. She subsequently went on to create the aid group BALM (Born Again Lesbian Ministry) and achieved popularity within the Metropolitan Community Church with her singing and songwriting. Singer Sid Spencer, a famous entertainer in the rodeo circuit in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, and who included sa
11 Country Artists Who’ve Approach 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 petite 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 signal 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 portray real change to how the country music community supports gay singers. One