Cameron Hawthorn came out as gay through a music video in March, but his latest vid is even steamier. To the tune of his song “Oh Hot Damn,” the country singer locks eyes with a handsome stranger at a honky-tonk saloon and joins the guy for a flirtatious line dance.
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“To be frank, it’s the first song I wrote about sex,” Hawthorn told HuffPost. “I was thinking about line dancing and how people — when they go to line dance, they own it, you know? They don’t care what anybody thinks. So it’s about being turned on by somebody and finding the freedom to express it.”
He also explained that his personal journey inspired the narrative: “It’s about seeing where I want to be, taking that leap of faith and joining the dance, in a way.”
The hot new single builds on the momentum of “Dancing in the Living Room,” the music video that established the Nashville-based musician as an up-and-comer in the LGBT country music scene this spring.
Related: Brandon Stansell on dancing for Taylor Swift in London and the life of a country singer
“I’d been doing music for a while and I wasn’t out,” Hawthorn recalled to HuffPost. “People were saying, ‘Who is Cameron Hawthorn? What do you want to say as an artist?’ And I knew what I wanted to say, but I was scared to say it.”
“I sat on [the video] for so long, and I thought a lot about whether I wanted [my sexuality] to be a part of my story. But I’m inspired by other artists who are true to who they are, so I saw it as my chance to go out there on a limb and just do it with no regrets.”
Goforit
Oh Hot Damn is right! Whew!
kcXanadu
Really? The song is terrible. It doesn’t sound country or even like he’s pushing the element. It’s cheesy. He also doesn’t look natural. He looks like he’s trying to act country instead of just being who he is. This is a general problem with gay artists trying to break into a scene. We try too hard. He’d have been better off just being him and not trying to be anything other than that.
michael_totzke
Party pooper! 😉
dbmcvey
Couldn’t disagree with you more. Are you some kind of amateur psychologist?
hotshot70
Its a great song, but, being a line dancer, the dance was a bit off. Still not bad.
Aires the Ram
Oh Hot Damn!! Whew!! Never heard of him before, but he’s hot, the video is hot, the song is excellent, love it all the way around! I will have to look him up and get him on my playlist.
michael_totzke
I think it’s great. Whether you like the song or not, whether you like the video or not, whether you like the line dancing or not, whether you like the singer or not … some little gay kid in Texas or Oklahoma is gonna see it & feel much better about himself.
djmcgamester
Agreed! Plus, I liked the song and the video. Not sure it was meant to be authentic as far as country style and line dancing. I think, if anything, it implied you might find a guy no matter where you go, even in a bar that isn’t specifically gay.
whateverokok
Oh DA-N! I should’ve poked my eyes out with a pen. It would’ve hurt less. This is about as authentic and real as the superhero costumes in the MCU movies. A flash in the pan like this is promoted, but when one of the true queer icons, Michael Stipe, releases their first-ever solo song this site doesn’t even pay attention. I guess since it’s actually good music they don’t give a crap. Oh well. Wake me when something GOOD comes out.
Josh447
Wow hot. Definitely a talent to follow.
Doug
Am I the only one noticing that he’s checking out the woman just as much as the guy? I wouldn’t exactly call this a coming out video, unless he’s trying to say he’s bi.