Orville Peck

With his mask, fringe hairstyle and deep baritone, Orville Peck has become a standout figure in modern country music. The openly gay Canadian-South African musician blends Americana with queerness, melancholy and sweeping gestures, and has been pushing the boundaries of a genre long defined by traditional roles for years. Last year marked a turning point for Peck: Following the collaborative album Stampede with artists such as Willie Nelson, Beck, Kylie Minogue and Elton John, he took the stage on Broadway in Cabaret without a mask for the first time. This phase gave rise to the Appaloosa EP, on which Peck blends country with alternative and shoegaze influences, singing of vulnerability, longing and the courage to be vulnerable. In a live setting, his songs unfold with a special intensity that balances pathos, camp and emotional openness.