rhinestone cowboy

Orville Peck opens up about his signature accessory & his lifelong obsession with cowboys

By · 18 comments · Updated on January 26, 2024

Country superstar Orville Peck is opening up about the obstacles he’s faced on the road to success as an out gay artist. In a new interview, Peck shared that his sexuality was met with ridicule in the traditionally conservative country industry.

“It was a lot of people practically laughing in my face, telling me that being an openly gay man in country would never work,” he told PEOPLE.

“I’ve met very discouraging moments in my career. But I just kept my chin up, and I refused to let anybody tell me that I couldn’t do what I wanted. If someone tells me I can’t do something, it makes me want to do it even more.”

Peck is now blazing a trail for other country artists that don’t fit into classic country stereotypes, both with his career and with his new show on AppleTV+, My Kind of Country.

On the show, Peck, along with fellow country stars Jimmie Allen and Mickey Guyton, go around the world in search of rising artists with takes on country that could shake up the genre.

Peck said he was drawn to the show because “it’s what I’ve been doing within my own career, is trying to bring different perspectives and representation into country music.”

“I hope this opens up some minds and some eyes and some ears that country music should be for everybody and is for everybody,” he continued. “It always has been for everybody.”

Peck also shared some insight into his signature accessory: a fringed mask that obscures his face, adding to the mystery (and sex appeal) of his cowboy-inspired style.

“The misconception is that it’s a character or I’m cultivating some persona or whatever. But I grew up loving country where there was an intersection between theatricality and very honest songwriting. Dolly’s a perfect example — the big wigs, the crazy outfits, but it’s her,” he said.

“For me, I was obsessed with the Lone Ranger, cowboys hiding their face, so that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to mix really vulnerable personal music, which is what I write, with this theatricality and performance.”

He’s certainly mastered the art of theatricality: Peck’s performances have captured the attention of audiences across the spectrum of sexuality, with his hit song “Dead of Night” being featured on HBO’s Euphoria and his rise to gay stardom earning him a guest judge spot on the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Clearly, his career is just getting started, and we can’t wait to see what’s next!

Watch the trailer for My Kind Of Country below…

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