Masked country crooner Orville Peck quickly developed a cult following after the release of his self-produced debut album, Pony, in 2019. While the singer’s anonymity certainly spurred public intrigue initially, fans swiftly learned that Peck is more than rhinestones, fringe and his iconic identity-concealing mask. He’s a true artist. Peck has toured Canada and the U.S. extensively, and played concerts as far as Europe and Australia. His second album, Bronco, was released in 2022 and showcases his golden oldies-tinged sound paired with swelling lyrics on same-sex love, desire, and heartache.
But who is Orville Peck underneath the persona?
If you wear a mask, people are going to want to know what it’s hiding. Or, as the old saying goes, “If you climb in the saddle, be ready for the ride.” Eventually, Peck’s fans’ curiosity boiled over with people eager to unmask the country singer’s true identity. And boy, howdy, did they ever! Online sleuths started to put the pieces together and discovered that a former punk musician residing in Canada named Daniel Pitout bore a lot of similarities to Peck in sound, appearance and personal history.
For instance, both Peck and Pitout were heavily involved in musical theater growing up. They’ve also both shared that they were raised in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to Canada in their early teens. But perhaps the biggest tell of Peck and Pitout’s shared identity is their iconic tattoos. Fans cross-examined photographs of Peck and Pitout’s ink to determine that they were the same person.
So, is Daniel Pitout Orville Peck? Yes! The masked singer’s identity has been confirmed and Orville Peck is in fact Daniel Pitout.
But who is Pitout exactly? Born in South Africa, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada when he was 15. He’s a trained ballet dancer and worked in theater growing up. Before donning a cowboy hat and mask, Pitout was a member of two Canadian garage and punk bands, Nü Sensae and Eating Out, as a drummer and singer respectively. So if you’ve ever wondered what Orville Peck looks like, consider that mystery solved.
But even after unmasking his identity, the intrigue surrounding Peck didn’t stop. The intersection of personal identity and artistic expression continued to fuel discussions about the artist’s private life, extending to his sexuality with fans wondering, “Is Orville Peck gay?”
Peck is openly gay. Speaking to Variety, the singer said he’d been out since he was very young adding, “I was very lucky to grow up in a family environment where I was very protected and loved for whoever I wanted to be.”
So if Peck is gay, and the country singer is an alter ego of punk musician Daniel Pitout, then is Pitout gay too? That’s been confirmed as well in an interview with Gayletter where Pitout stated, “I am openly gay and always have been.” In the same interview, Pitout spoke candidly about his sexuality and his experience being queer in the DIY punk scene stating, “I believe that barriers are broken when you stop acknowledging them. I’ve never made decisions based on my sexuality or let it define who I am as an artist or a person. I think if you are into punk music and you happen to be LGBT then you should listen to that music and start a band. Not because you are gay, but because it’s what you wanna do.”
While Peck avoids putting his sexuality at the front and center of his art, he’s still managed to establish himself as a queer icon not just in the country music scene but in the cultural zeitgeist at large. In 2021, Peck reimagined Lady Gaga’s classic 2011 queer anthem, “Born This Way.” Peck’s version traded the original’s upbeat pop tone for his signature spartan country sound. But despite the sonic differences, both versions maintain a message of solidarity and support that resonates with the LGBTQIA+ community. A year later, in 2022, Peck was given the Cultural Icon Award by the Tom of Finland Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the education and preservation of erotic art and “promoting healthier, more tolerant attitudes about sexuality.”
Recently, Peck postponed the remaining dates of his “Bronco” tour, citing mental and physical health struggles. In an Instagram post, Peck wrote, “Being on stage is my favourite thing in the world. But I have to take this time to replenish my mind and body so that I can come back stronger and healthier than before, in order to do what I love for many years to come. I truly hope you can understand.” Fortunately, a few months later Peck updated his fans in another Instagram post sharing that he was doing much better and plans to be back on the old dusty trail in no time. Yeehaw!
