Gay female country artist

'The fundamental themes in country music revolve around solitude, emotional distress, dashed hopes, and unreciprocated affection,' observed Orville Peck, the artist distinguished by his fringed mask and a prominent position in the genre's LGBTQ evolution. 'I believe these are sentiments that nearly every queer individual encounters at some juncture in their existence, and at times, for a considerable duration of our lives.' Nevertheless, it is solely within the current streaming era that the Nashville music establishment has begun to acknowledge that country music and its association with queerness need not be viewed as mutually exclusive concepts.

With traditional media outlets no longer functioning as gatekeepers, an entire spectrum of country artists who deviate from the heteronormative paradigm have gained the ability to disseminate their musical creations and their underlying messages to the broader public. Every artist, ranging from the non-binary singer-songwriter Paisley Fields and the transgender artist Mya Byrne to the African American queer sibling duo The Kentucky Gentlemen, has cultivated a devoted following, albeit with minimal widespread recognition. In addition to her multifaceted career as a television personality, the proprietor of a makeup enterprise, an establishment owner of bars and motels, a disc jockey, a podcaster, and a sensation on YouTube, Trixie Mattel has emerged as the most commercially successful musical alumnus from the Emmy-winning program RuPaul's Drag Race, boasting over a quarter of a million monthly listeners on Spotify; her success stems not from rap performances, but from the execution of traditional country-pop tunes.

This phenomenon, however, is not entirely novel. For many years, artists from the LGBTQ+ community have been instrumental in pioneering pathways for these contemporary acts, and it is only now that their contributions are being duly recognized. Nowhere is this more evident than with the group Lavender Country. Established by Patrick Haggerty, an advocate for gay rights who had been expelled from the Peace Corps due to his sexual orientation, this Seattle-based ensemble released what was, musically speaking, a fairly conventional country record in the year 1973. However, in terms of its lyrical content and thematic material, this self-titled debut album was revolutionary, earning it recognition as the inaugural queer country album ever produced. Tracks such as 'Back in the Closet Again,' 'Come Out Singing,' and, most significantly, 'Cryin' These Cocksucking Tears,' induced considerable consternation among the gay community within this notoriously conservative musical domain. DJ Shan Ottey even faced dismissal from the group's originating local radio station, KRAB, for playing the latter song.

Lavender Country persisted as a niche, underground cultural phenomenon - with a limited production run of only 1,000 copies - for the subsequent three decades, until a YouTube upload managed to capture the interest of the label Paradise of Bachelors. The North Carolina-based imprint subsequently reissued what is widely acknowledged as the very first gay country album, thereby introducing the groundbreaking work of this ensemble to a younger, more extensive, and considerably more progressive audience. Following this, a documentary film and an animated short chronicling Haggerty's deeply affecting bond with his supportive father, alongside collaborative projects with Peck and Mattel, were released. And in 2022, Lavender Country presented its second album, a release that faithful followers had anticipated for forty-nine long years.

Regrettably, Haggerty passed away a mere nine months after the release of Blackberry Rose. Nevertheless, he bequeathed a legacy that continues to forge connections. The track 'I Just Can't Shake the Stranger Out of You' is now approaching half a million streams on Spotify, and due to its inclusion on curated playlists like Queer as Folk (with 144,000 followers) and Vintage Vibes (with 298,000 followers), Lavender Country's monthly listenership continues to experience sustained growth.

Certainly, the country music genre had explored themes touching upon queerness long before Haggerty's birth. Adapted from a poem penned by Harold Hersey, Ewen Hail's 'Lavender Cowboy' narrated the story of an effeminate gunslinger (described as dying with 'his six guns a smokin'/But with only two hairs on his chest'), appearing in the 1930 Western film Oklahoma Cyclone. Additionally, there were The Sweet Violet Boys, the comedic alter-ego of The Prairie Ramblers, who generated a minor uproar in 1939 with the suggestive lyrics of 'I Love My Fruit' ('I sure like my nuts').

While the latter's humor was decidedly lighthearted, several country music comedians subsequently expressed considerable antagonism toward the gay community. In 1951, Billy Briggs issued 'The Sissy Song,' a profoundly homophobic ballad about a man who pledges to end his life should he ever exhibit traits perceived as a threat to his own virility. Even more disturbing was Paddy Roberts' interpretation of 'Lavender Cowboy' eight years after its initial release. In his rendition, the homosexual protagonist is subjected to cruel ridicule instead of being portrayed as a heroic figure (with lyrics such as 'And they knew as they went they were hot on the scent/By the smell of Chanel No.5'). Fortunately, such overt prejudice has received minimal attention in the Spotify era, as neither of these objectionable songs has surpassed three thousand streams.

This was the prevailing climate when Wilma Burgess commenced her professional journey at the outset of the 1960s, a context that renders her cautious steps toward self-disclosure even more commendable. The singer's sexual orientation was an openly acknowledged subject within the music industry, and although she never made a public declaration, she declined to adopt a conventional approach with her musical compositions; the subjects of her affections were frequently gender-ambiguous, for instance. Following fifteen successful entries on the Billboard Country and Western charts, including her most streamed track, 'Misty Blue' (with 65,000 streams), Burgess once again blazed a new trail by establishing The Hitching Post, which became the very first establishment catering to lesbians in Nashville.

Perhaps due to the unfavorable reception faced by Haggerty and his associates, the country music scene experienced minimal further progression throughout the seventies and eighties. k.d. lang, an artist who openly identified as gay and explored notions of gender in the performance-oriented video for her song 'Turn Me Around,' effectively withdrew from the genre after being consistently ostracized by its rigid radio selection committees. Fortunately, more encouraging developments began to emerge in the nineties.

For example, the transgender performer Teresa McLaughlin founded the Lesbian and Gay Country Music Association, a community-focused alternative to the CMA that aimed to champion individuals marginalized by the mainstream. This initiative encompassed artists such as Steve Lynn, Charlie Pacheo, and Sid Spencer, all of whom were regular participants in the gay rodeo circuit and whose independently released works could only be promoted through specialized publications. Concurrently, Mary Gauthier, who holds the distinction of being the first openly lesbian artist to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, and Melissa Etheridge, a two-time Grammy nominee, both of whom occupied the fringes of the genre, commenced a gradual process of dismantling mainstream barriers.

However, it was not until the early 2010s that the queer resurgence within country music truly began to gain significant traction. Karen Pittelman, the lead singer of Karen and the Sorrows, initiated Brooklyn's The Queer Country Quarterly in 2011, a recurring club showcase designed to demonstrate that the genre was not solely defined by flannel attire, cold beverages, and truck driving. Grammy nominee Amythyst Kiah, Tennessee songwriter Jett Holden, and the self-described 'weird-adjacent" singer-songwriter Mery Steel are merely a few of the individuals who have since contributed to fostering a sense of collective belonging at this event, which has now expanded its reach across the United States. For instance, in 2015, the musical activist Eli Conley decided to establish California's equivalent, the Queer Country West Coast.

By this juncture, a greater number of prominent figures were also openly supporting the LGBTQ+ community within the country music sphere. Chely Wright, who had achieved a number one hit on the country charts with the 1999 single 'Single White Female,' publicly declared her sexual orientation in 2010 through the dual release of a memoir and a studio album, both bearing the title Lifted Off the Ground. Shane McAnally, a highly influential creator of country hits in the contemporary era, exchanged vows with his long-standing partner Michael Baum. And, the openly gay artist Brandy Clark, who had collaborated with McAnally on Kacey Musgraves' anthem celebrating inclusivity, 'Follow Your Arrow' (featuring the lines 'Kiss lots of boys/Or kiss lots of girls'), embarked on her transition from a behind-the-scenes collaborator to a Grammy-nominated artist in her own right, achieving success with tracks like 'Girl Next Door.'

We should not overlook TJ Herndon, the artist who achieved three number-one country chart positions and became the initial prominent male figure in country music to announce his homosexuality in 2014. Similarly, Billy Gilman, the child star who later became a runner-up on The Voice, was inspired by Herndon's courage and chose to reveal his own identity merely hours later. Furthermore, there is Brandi Carlile, arguably the most commercially successful queer musician in country music to date, having garnered an impressive twenty-six Grammy nominations and ten victories since 2016. The fact that this singer-songwriter, who is also a member of the feminist supergroup The Highwomen, has been transparent about her sexuality from the outset has undoubtedly empowered the subsequent generation with the assurance and the motivation to adopt a similar approach.

This category includes The Glee Project graduate Harper Grae, Nashville-based performer Katie Pruitt, and Lily Rose, who holds the distinction of being the first country artist ever to receive the GLAAD Media Breakthrough Music Award. Chris Housman also achieved viral success with his early single 'Blueneck,' a satirical tribute to 'liberal rednecks' that proclaimed, 'George Straight or George Gay, there's no difference.' And within a mere two months of 'Old Town Road' dominating the Hot 100 charts, Lil Nas X marked the conclusion of Pride Month by officially confirming his homosexuality. 'Seriously thought I made it obvious,' he later posted on Twitter, referencing the rainbow-themed artwork for his 7 EP.

Other artists have adopted a more measured approach to their public disclosures. TJ Osborne, one half of the outlaw country duo Brothers Osborne, became the first openly gay male artist signed to a major record label when he revealed his identity in February 2021. His song 'Younger Me,' a reflective message to his younger self about his sexuality, later earned the siblings their inaugural Grammy award. One month prior, and thirteen years after first gaining recognition on American Idol, Brooke Eden announced her engagement to a woman, identified as record executive Hillary Hoover. In the same year, and following the release of several independently produced works, Adeem the Artist proclaimed their non-binary transformation, accompanied by an album titled Cast-Iron Pansexual.

Did these personal announcements have any detrimental impact on the respective artists' fan bases? On the contrary, they appear to have catalyzed increased engagement. Brothers Osborne had an audience of 2.24 million monthly listeners on Spotify prior to TJ's announcement. By the end of summer, their numbers were approaching 4 million, bolstered by the release of their new track 'Younger Me.'

Both Eden and Adeem experienced notable surges in popularity, not only in their streaming figures but also on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Furthermore, since his casual coming out, Lil Nas X has achieved an additional eleven entries on the Hot 100, including the chart-topping singles 'Industry Baby' and 'Montero (Call Me By Your Name)'; the latter's provocative promotional material—who could forget that controversial lap dance scene?—suggests that rather than hindering mainstream success, Middle America's disapproval was actively being sought and leveraged.

It is not solely artists who identify as queer who are advocating for change. At the 2023 CMT Awards, Kelsea Ballerini performed her song 'If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)' alongside a group of drag queens as a response to the concerning calls for more stringent anti-transgender legislation. Further evidence of a societal shift can be seen in the track's Spotify streams, which dramatically increased from 21.4 million to 69 million within a six-month period, establishing it as one of Ballerini's most popular songs.

Elsewhere, Maren Morris publicly criticizedJason Aldean's wife Brittany after the social media influencer posted a comment that Morris interpreted as transphobic. Morris, the singer of 'My Church,' later disclosed that she was 'happy to be the B in LGBTQ' herself, once again illustrating how the present generation feels more comfortable expressing their authentic selves. In 2021, Miley Cyrus commemorated Pride Month with a special hour-long television event, filmed at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium, featuring prominent queer performers such as Peck alongside allies like Little Big Town and Mickey Guyton. Even the CMT network has acknowledged the evolving times by establishing the Equal Access Development Fund to support the growth of minority groups.

Moreover, it is crucial to acknowledge the consistent support offered by several seasoned figures within the country music landscape. Dolly Parton has consistently embraced her esteemed position as an icon within the LGBTQ+ community, while Willie Nelson, who proclaims himself the King of the Outlaws, has frequently voiced his advocacy for gay rights. In fact, he recently invited Peck to collaborate in the studio for another rendition of 'Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other,' a 1981 composition by Ned Sublette that Nelson first brought to the charts in 2006. This new version has already garnered 2.3 million streams on Spotify. According to Peck, Nelson was fully amenable to any creative direction in the accompanying music video, stating to USA Today, 'It's a win for all of us because that's true allyship. Someone who's completely unafraid to be right there next to us, there's no vagueness involved.'

During a period when the civil liberties of the LGBTQ+ community are under continuous scrutiny, this intergenerational musical collaboration serves as a welcome reminder that, contrary to its hyper-masculine persona, country music has invariably possessed a subtly queer undertone. As the unlikely duet partners harmoniously sing, 'What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?'

Visual interpretations by Nicki Camberg and primary imagery provided by Crasianne Tirado. All data is current as of June 25, 2024.