Orville Peck: Everything we know about the country star's true identity, tour, merch, and relationship with Diplo

We don't cover a lot of country music here on Buro., but here's a name you're going to be hearing a lot of in the future. Gay country singer Orville Peck turned heads when he turned up as Diplo's date at the 2020 Grammys. His glamorous fringed face mask and cowboy aesthetic is visually arresting, but wait till you hear his mature vocals that remind us of the great Johnny Cash.

The enigmatic figure made his mark on the country music scene early last year with his acclaimed debut album, Pony. In January this year, Apple Music picked Orville for their Up Next Artist programme. Past alumni of the programme include Grammy winner Billie Eilish, 6LACK, Juice WRLD, and Bad Bunny. The announcement was followed by a standout performance at the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show.

2020 is set to be a breakout year for him. His U.S. tour starts in March and his newly released merch have already sold out for the moment.

We trawled through the Internet to find out more about him. Here's what we know so far.

1. He's lived in several places around the world.
Judging from the old-school nature of his music, some might mistakenly think that he was born and raised in country music epicentres such as Nashville, Texas or Tennessee. Yet, he has previously said that he was born in the Southern Hemisphere, spending his formative years around multiple places in North America. He has also lived in Europe and travelled around a lot. Born a drifter, he says that he starts having anxiety when he is in one place for too long.

2. His mask is part of his artistic expression.
While fans have speculated that his true identity is Daniel Pitout — a performance artist and the former drummer of Canadian punk band Nü Sensae — he hasn't openly confirmed it. His publicist even released a statement from him that read, in part: "I understand there is a temptation to try and unmask what I do, but to do so would be to miss the point entirely."

3. He first made contact with renowned producer Diplo through a DM.
Acclaimed DJ and producer Diplo brought Peck as his date to the 2020 Grammy Awards. They couldn't look more happier in matching cowboy outfits. During a red carpet interview, it was revealed that Peck had slid into Diplo's DMs and the rest, as we know, is history.

4. He is openly gay.
Country music is dominated by one perspective, a straight white male's.The first ever gay country album, Lavender Country, was released in 1973 and Peck mentioned that he first heard it when he was 19. Although he has faced discrimation against his sexuality, he hopes his presence within the music scene will create more opportunities for people like him.

5. He loves drag.
Orville Peck frequently uses drag acts to open his shows as a way of electrifying the crowd before he comes on stage. His song, "Queen of the Rodeo", further proves his passion for drag. In an interview with The Guardian, he mentioned: "I have a respect for drag queens as people and how much work and dedication goes into that with sometimes very little payback".