Who in country music is gay
LGBTQ+ country singers on 'breaking down the system,' increasing visibility in genre
LGBTQ+ nation singers are more observable than ever, but they're still waiting for their true breakout moment.
For every masked crooner like Orville Peck, genre-bending singer-songwriter enjoy Brandi Carlile or T.J. Osborne -- one-half of the hitmaking duo Brothers Osborne -- there are numerous other performers who are fighting for the spotlight in a genre that's still overwhelmingly light, male and straight.
That doesn't mean there hasn't been progress, though.
Grammy-nominated singer Ty Herndon, for example, came out publicly a decade ago in June 2014 and has embraced his identity in the years since.
Most notably, he re-released his most popular ballad, "What Mattered Most," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Region Songs chart in 1995, for Pride Month in 2019, swapping the pronouns within it to indicate his status as an openly gay man.
On foremost of that, Herndon has been a beacon of hope for the gay community by creating the Concert for Love and Acceptance, an annual reveal for queer artists and allies to come together to support LGBTQ+ youth as well as uplift
John and T.J. Osborne at the 57th Annual Country Melody Awards. (Photo courtesy of the Brothers Osborne/CMA)
The biggest names in country harmony gathered Nov. 8 at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena for the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards, hosted again this year by country star Luke Bryan alongside former NFL star Peyton Manning.
Walking away with Vocal Duo of the Year were sibling musicians John and T.J. Osborne.
The Brothers Osborne as they are famous by, in previous years have won in this category, this year making it their sixth win.
T.J. Osborne, guide singer of the country duo, came out as same-sex attracted in an exclusive interview with Time Magazine, which was published Feb. 3, 2021.
While other ostensibly nation artists are openly LGBTQ, such as Orville Peck, Brandi Carlile, Lil Nas X, Chely Wright and Billy Gilman, Osborne’s revelation makes him the first — and so far, only — openly gay musical artist signed to a major state label.
John and T.J. Osborne grew up in the miniature Chesapeake Bay bayside town of Deale in Anne Arundel County, Md., writing and playing songs for friends and family in their father’s shed. T.J. with his brother John formed the Brothers Os
“The main stories in country are loneliness, heartbreak, disappointment, unrequited love,” remarked Orville Peck, the fringe-masked crooner at the forefront of the genre’s LGBTQ shift. “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 accept that state music and queerness don’t necessitate to be mutually exclusive terms.
With traditional media no longer competent to serve as gatekeepers, a whole world of country artists who don’t fit the heteronormative mold have been able to get their music, and their message, out there to the masses. Everyone from non-binary singer-songwriter Paisley Fields to trans musician Mya Byrne to Black homosexual twin duo The Kentucky Gentlemen have built up loyal followings, though without much mainstream recognition. In addition to her other roles as a television celestial body, makeup company owner, bar and motel proprietor, DJ, podcaster, and YouTube sensation, Trixie Mattel has become the most successful musical alum from the Emmy award-winning RuPaul’s Drag Race with over a quarter
11 Country Artists Who’ve Come Out as Gay
Chely Wright was an absolute trailblazer when she revealed that she was gay in 2010. The country melody establishment wasn't quite ready to consent someone from the LGBTQ+ community then, and one could make a case that little has changed even after nine more well-known stars have opened up.
Ty Herndon and Billy Gilman revealed they were male lover during a groundbreaking five-hour stretch in November 2014. Since then there own been relatively limited comings out — instead, news of an artist's choice came organically, or as a footnote in a biography — until TJ Osborne did so on Wednesday (Jan. 3).
That could be seen as a sign of progress, if it meant these artists were enjoying equal victory on the radio or other platforms. That has not been the case — count a pair of Superior 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 state music community supports gay singers. One cleaned house at the 2019 Grammy Awards, while another notched the biggest song of 2019 in all genr