Is brandy clark gay
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After decades in the song industry, GRAMMY and CMA Award-winner Brandy Clark is having a breakout year, in addition to her GRAMMY win, she nabbed her first Tony-Award for the Broadway musical Shucked, which she co-wrote, and has embarked on a national tour, performing in key slots at several high-profile music events. The Spoleto Festival USA Front Row Series performer discussed discovering her sexuality and how teaming up with another gay musician influenced her new album with the Los Angeles Times.
Over the past twenty years, Brandy Clark has written some of the biggest country hits including Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” the Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two,” and Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow.”
Revered country tunesmith Jessie Jo Dillon describes Clark as “universally revered,” among fellow country songwriters, “You ask anyone on Harmony Row, ‘Hey, you need to write with Brandy Clark?” and they’re favor ‘Can we do it tomorrow?’”
“Yet as a mainstream country act, Clark — one of the very few out gay performers in Nashville — [had] never quite broken out,”
Despite her well-earned reputation as one of Nashville’s strongest songwriters and nuanced singers, Brandy Clark had gotten used to not hearing her name called at Grammy Awards ceremonies. Two years ago, her friend Brandi Carlile decided to do something about that. Carlile produced Clark’s fourth studio album, Brandy Clark, which earned five of the six nominations she got this year, upping her tally to 17 — one of which turned into her first win. Clark was honored for Leading Americana Performance for “Dear Insecurity,” a duet with Carlile. After her triumph, Clark told a backstage interviewer, “Brandi is the reason why I made this record and why this anthem is what it is.”
But as Clark explained in an earlier BGS interview, the catalyst for that collaboration — her most personal, affecting work yet — was one of those Grammys she didn’t win.
So how did Brandi&#;s involvement come about?
Brandy Clark: The label wanted me to write down two more songs for a deluxe version of Your Life is a Record. I had made that register with Jay Joyce, and he couldn&#;t do it. Tracy Gershon, a mutua
The musician is nominated for Finest Country Album for Your Experience is a Record.
Brandy Clark, one of the finest singer/songwriters in country music, thought her career would only take place behind the scenes. &#;I definitely had it in my head that being gay and being in country music&#;those two things could not co-exist,&#; she says. &#;That&#;s one of the times I&#;ve been really happy to be wrong.”
Clark knew plenty of other gay songwriters, like her frequent collaborator, Shane McAnally, but the number of out gay singers that&#;ve broken through in region music are comparatively rare — it was only in February of that T.J. Osborne of The Brothers Osborne came out and became the first out gay artists signed at a major country label. (Similar to Clark, Brandi Carlile, Chely Wright, Orville Peck, and Lil Nas X are not on specifically country music labels.)
&#;The great thing for me was there was no career suicide to commit because I was already out of the closet. Whatever happened for me, once I became an artist, it was icing on the cake.&#;
Writing for region music staples
Country Artists Who Have Reach Out as Gay [PICTURES]
Ty Herndon and Billy Gilman made headlines in November by revealing they were gay within hours of each other but they weren't the first nation artists to make such an announcement, nor the last.
From Chely Wright -- the first well-known state star to come out, in -- to songwriter Shane McAnally, there hold been a few others helping pave the way in the country song industry. On Feb. 3, Brothers Osborne member TJ Osborne came out publicly, in a feature in Time. That makes him one of the very few out country artists signed to a major or large independent write down label, along with Brooke Eden, who recently got engaged to her longtime girlfriend, Hilary Hoover.
"I need to get to the height of my career being completely who I am," says the singer, who's now released three major-label albums with his brother John. "I intend, I am who I am, but I've kept a part of me muted, and it's been stifling."
Click through the gallery below to learn more about country's LGBTQ+