Mask
We quickly learned to recognize Orville Peck without knowing him: from the beginning, he hid his face behind a fringed mask. This accessory was not just a coquetry intended to get people talking. It contributed to the mystery surrounding his real identity – Orville Peck is of course a stage name – but was above all a tool for him to better reveal himself.
“The mask allowed me to be more vulnerable and more honest than I had ever been in my life,” he explained in an interview with NPR, the American public radio.
PHOTO FROM ORVILLE PECK’S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
Orville Peck wearing one of his spectacular fringed masks on stage, 2023
The stunning accessory is still part of his stage costume, but he has removed the fringe, revealing the lower part of his face. Exposing himself a little more is now his way of assuming even more of his vulnerability, he recently explained to the magazine Out.
West End
No need to be a private detective to discover the identity of the man hiding under the mask. Curious Internet users have already scoured the Internet and quickly deduced (especially because of his many tattoos) that his name is in fact Daniel Pitout, that he was born in South Africa, grew up in Toronto and was once part of a punk band.
PHOTO FROM ORVILLE PECK’S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
Orville Peck has a sense of theater even in his promotional photos.
But that’s not the most interesting part of the story. When he was younger, he also did ballet and studied at drama school, and even performed in London’s West End. But Orville Peck had only one thing on his mind, he assured the magazine Variety in 2022: making country music. His love for this music comes from his paternal grandfather. It was only in his twenties that he had the courage to mix everything he loved – music, theater, dance, etc. – to finally launch himself.
Rainbow
Orville Peck never hid his homosexuality. He made his coming out early in his life. “I was very fortunate to grow up in a family environment where I was protected and loved for whoever I was going to become,” he further told Variety.
Orville Peck is the most flamboyant gay cowboy right now, but he’s far from the only one. Long reduced to an image of conservative white heterosexual men, the country scene is increasingly opening up. Afro-descendant musicians, like Beyoncé, are reclaiming their country roots and the contribution of their ancestors to the development of this style. Orville Peck, who doesn’t deny having faced many prejudices in this environment, is part of this diversity, as are artists like Brandi Carlisle and TJ Osbourne, of the group Brothers Osbourne, seen last year at LASSO.
The masked cowboy is, however, a little more rebellious than others: he recently took up the song Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Othera song about love between men with a smirk, featuring none other than Willie Nelson. At the suggestion of the old cowboy himself, who had already recorded this song written by Ned Sublette.
Cinematographic
Orville Peck cannot be reduced to a single image, and even less to a sound. His approach to country music is inclusive, sometimes tinged with pop, often very cinematic. He has a beautifully extended register that allows him to push controlled low notes and to make beautiful arabesques in the high notes, with the elegance of the ballet dancer he once was. His song Dead of Night in fact the eloquent demonstration.
Orville Peck also borrows heavily from the art of the best crooners and primitive rock, like on Roses Are Fallinga mix of charm, a wry smile and a mastery of the art of storytelling through song. He has further expanded the boundaries of his playing field recently by collaborating with Diplo, a DJ and composer notably associated with rap and electronic music, and Australian pop star Kylie Minogue on a song called Midnight Run.
Shania
Orville Peck has multiplied the collaborations on his most recent album, Stampede Vol. 1where he sings with Noah Cyrus, Midland, Elton John, Allison Russell and Willie Nelson, precisely. His most important collaboration in his career, however, could be the duet he recorded with Shania Twain, certainly the biggest female country star of our time after Dolly Parton. Legends Never Diea more pop and conventional piece than what Orville Peck generally does, was released in 2020, following his first full-length album (Pony).
He certainly helped to bring attention to this unusual artist. Shania Twain had nothing but good things to say about the rainbow cowboy in her feature Variety in 2022, describing him as a gentle, kind man with a singular talent. “Orville deserves to shine in country music for many reasons,” she said, “but his unique vocal style and unpredictable lyrics make him an extraordinary artist.”
Performing on the TD stage at Place des Festivals, Friday, at 9:30 p.m.
Check out the event page