In a TIME article published Wednesday, T.J. Osborne, one half of country hitmakers Brothers Osborne, publicly admitted for the first time that he is gay. He says that while he has been out to his family and a close circle of friends for quite some time, he felt that it was time that he shared this piece of himself with the country music community as a whole. “I just want to move on” T.J. told TIME, meaning that he wants to be able to be himself without fear of judgment.
Brothers Osborne is currently the only country music act to have an openly gay member that is signed to a major label. T.J. says that as a storyteller in the genre, he needs to be open about this part of himself if he wants fans to fully invest in the stories they tell. The fact that country music as a whole has been plagued with this stigma of being ultra-conservative, also played a role in his decision to speak out now. He wants every member of his fan base to feel like they are represented, and he hopes that members of the LGBTQ+ community can feel like they are valued in their music.
T’J.’s real-life influence first had an impact on the music of Brothers Osborne in their hit ’21 Summer’, which he says he wrote about his first major heartbreak. “There are so many times I’ve sung that song and wanted to cry. People love that song, but the emotion of it is deeper than they realize.” In their video for ‘Stay A Little Longer’, they chose to feature both gay and interracial couples, one of the first signs of full inclusion in mainstream country. J.T’s brother John then chimed in by saying “If I had to have all my money and success erased for my brother to be truly fulfilled in life, I wouldn’t even think about it. Not for a second.”
The fear of losing the success that they’ve achieved thus far is a real fear that many artists are faced with in the age of “cancel” culture. I believe that representation in all forms of media is extremely important. I have personally struggled at times with being a fan of a genre that has notoriously under-represented the LGBTQ+ community. Like T.J. says, I wanted to see myself represented in the music that I love. What I hope with T.J.’s declaration is that it will continue to spark a conversation among artists, executives and fans about what listeners want, and frankly need, to hear in their music. What did you think of T’J.’s announcement? Let us know in the comments.
