Chappell Roan added to country’s relatively slim canon of gay-focused music with the release of her song “The Giver” earlier this month, describing the track as a “lesbian country song.”
But it’s not as if same-sex relationships haven’t ever been a topic in country music past. Notably, Chely Wright came out as gay in 2010, becoming one of the first mainstream stars in the genre to openly do so.
In a recent conversation with People, Wright praises “The Giver” — though she admits its “aggressive, in-your-face, tongue-in-cheek” lyrics gave her a little bit of a shock.
“I think it’s super bold. I will admit, I blushed a little bit when I heard it, but I’m 54, right?” she says. “I’m a Golden Girl now.”
As for whether or not Roan’s release qualifies as a country song?
“It’s 100 percent a country record to me. It ticks every box that one would expect it to tick to be a great country song and a great record and a great performance,” Wright continues.
She also notes that much has changed for queer artists since the ’90s, since she was putting out songs like “Single White Female.”
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“I don’t want to over-characterize how she feels and shows up in the world, because that’s not mine to do,” Wright hedges, but ventured to say that “she possesses a level of psychological safety that those of us making records in the ’90s didn’t.”
Groundbreaking artists like Wright herself have opened doors for more queer country acts to perform as their authentic selves, and their numbers are growing. In 2020, the Brothers Osborne‘s TJ Osborne came out as gay, becoming the first artist signed to a mainstream country label to do so.
Others, like Brooke Eden, Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Ty Herndon are currently performing as openly queer artists. But that’s still a relatively small minority.
“[Roan is] also incredibly brave and powerful and courageous to do and sing about what she’s singing about in the way she does,” Wright adds. “I just love that she’s part of a wave.
“She’s challenging systemic norms and long-standing rules, explicit and implicit. I say, go Chappell Roan, go. You go, Missouri girl, you go,” she says.
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The charts have echoed Wright’s support for Roan’s foray into country music. “The Giver” reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart in its very first week, and hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
