Orville Peck’s voice is distinctive, even if his face is elusive.
The country star, who’s known for wearing fringed masks, has gone from jamming in Pacific Northwest punk bands to crooning with some of music’s biggest names, like , , Diplo, and more.
Peck released the first volume of his duets album, “Stampede,” in May, which included a cover of the 1980s song, “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other.” in the 2000s, and Peck said during an interview on TODAY that the country music icon recently asked him if they could sing it together.
“I didn’t realize how much validation and healing would sort of come from that,” Peck told TODAY’s Joe Fryer. “Because I think not having that queer country visibility growing up … it’s like the most encouraging, validating thing for that little kid in me as well, you know?”
While Peck wears a mask during his performances, he’s never hidden that he’s gay. Hiding his sexuality never crossed his mind when he started releasing his music, he said.
“All I thought was, ‘I’m going to write love songs and tell stories that are my stories.’ And you know, for me, my love songs are about loving men,” he said.
Peck, 36, was born in South Africa and raised in Canada. He said he was hooked on country music when he discovered a Johnny Cash album as a child. Before long, he shot to alt-country music stardom with the release of his debut album, “Pony,” in 2019.
“I describe my music as country,” Peck said. “And then sometimes I get people giving me a strange, like a ‘Oh.’ And then I say, ‘No, no, it’s good country!’”
Peck said he decided to wear a mask during his performances because he liked recalling “the trope of the outlaw and the mystery behind it.”
“The first few years were interesting,” he said with a laugh. “I think now everyone’s kind of gotten used to it.”
Peck’s iconic look has become a part of his persona, and the singer has stars lining up to work with him, like Elton John for a cover of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” and Kylie Minogue and Diplo on a new song, “Midnight Ride.”
, whom Peck counts as a friend, also presented the GLAAD Vito Russo award for accelerating LBGTQ+ acceptance to him in May.
“There’s a solidness and self-respect and love that he has for himself that he effortlessly casts onto other people,” Lawrence said .
Peck said he plans to continue being himself ahead of the release of the second volume of his “Stampede” album in August, which is set to feature songs with artists like Beck and Mickey Guyton.
“The second I decided to just be myself, completely, unapologetically … that’s when things started really connecting for other people as well.”
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