NEW YORK — It’s not easy being an outsider in country music, but Orville Peck made a career out of it.
On his third album, “Stampede,” his nonconformist spirit led to collaborations with everyone from Willie Nelson and Elton John for Mickey Guyton and Kylie Minogue.
When the South African musician released his debut album “Pony” in 2019, little was known about him. A country singer with a deep baritone more aligned with outlaws like Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings than anything on contemporary radio, Peck hid his identity (Peck is a pseudonym) and his face behind a mask.
A wide strip of leather completely obscured his forehead to the bridge of his nose; the rest of her face was hidden beneath a large Stetson hat and a foot of cascading bangs. As his public popularity increased and he continued to release new music, Peck began to slow down removing his mask. Now, as he prepares to release “Stampede,” an album of duets, only the hat and eye mask remain.
“I think it parallels my confidence,” he says. “When I started – my first album – I really needed the mask.”
It takes some self-confidence to release a duets album. Each song is an entirely new collaboration, a previously unexplored creative experiment, and a balancing act. “Every song is me, 50%, and then 50% the other artist,” he says. “It’s a long tradition in country to do duets and have a duo of sorts. You know, I think of Johnny Cash and June Carter, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris,” he says, suggesting that this type of album would come later in his career.
“But then when Willie asked me to do (the song) ‘Cowboys,’ it was like, ‘Oh, maybe this is the right time?’ And then, then I asked Elton, and then I asked Kylie, and then, you know, and so on.”
A dream come true that didn’t work out? Dolly Parton.
In Nelson’s case, Peck is referring to the 1981 queer country cult classic “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other” by Ned Sublette, covered by Nelson in 2006 and an infrequent staple of Peck’s live show. When Nelson and Peck played a festival together a few years ago, the country legend invited Peck to his tour bus for coffee and suggested they rework the song as a duet. He told Peck, “It’s more important now than ever,” Peck recalls.
“I think the fact that he wanted to do this particular song with me, and the fact that his reasoning behind it was supportive and motivated in encouraging LGBTQ people, I mean, it’s the most validating thing ever.” They would later film a music video for the duet at Nelson’s Luck Ranch in Texas.
In “Stampede” there are also non-traditionalist duets and covers. There’s “Papa Was a Rodeo,” a bluegrass cover of the indie rock song by Magnetic Fields, now featuring Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway. There’s an ode to Sin City, “Death Valley High,” with Beck, who told AP the song was inspired by “Elvis in Vegas is, you know, Vegas by way of Memphis. It’s something totally different from Sinatra Vegas.”
There’s also “Midnight Ride,” a disco number featuring Kylie Minogue and Diplo, which the trio debuted live during a Pride event in Los Angeles in June.
“I’ve learned over the years how important visibility is,” Peck says, “bringing something that’s really joyful and inclusive.”
An outsider of sorts is where Peck feels at home. “Country radio — country with a capital C — is kind of its own thing,” he says. “You have to kiss a lot of babies and shake hands to play the Nashville game. I was interested in doing it.
“I just want my music and my art to speak for itself, and I don’t feel like I need to kiss ass in Nashville to be accepted and validated,” he continued.
“I know how country I am. I work with incredible legends like Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker, all these people that I grew up idolizing, that love me. So, you know, that’s enough validation for me. And if I’m not in the top 40 on country music radio, you know, that’s fine with me.
___
Writer Krysta Fauria contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
