T.J. Osborne says any “little fears” he may have had about coming out as gay in country music were cast aside the minute he took his first steps toward living as his true self.
The Nashville singer-songwriter, who is half of the Brothers Osborne, joins his bandmate and real-life brother John on the latest episode of Apple Music Country’s “Trailblazers Radio With Fancy Hagood,” premiering Wednesday.
In the interview, he speaks at length about his decision to publicly address his sexuality for the first time in a 2021 profile with Time magazine, as well as his artistic evolution since then.
“That was a huge moment in my life and certainly life changing in pretty much exclusively positive ways,” Osborne recalled. “I’d been kind of living with these little fears all day every day for years. I think I was also just so excited to be free of that burden.”
While Osborne knew coming out was something he needed to do for himself, he nonetheless acknowledged feeling trepidation over the potential impact his announcement could have on those around him ― namely his brother, as well as his band’s handlers and backstage crew.
Catch a clip from the Brothers Osborne’s “Trailblazers Radio” chat below.
“I was more concerned about that, how that would play out ... but I knew I was ready,” he explained. “I knew I was ready myself and I realized there was just never ever going to be this perfect moment where I jumped through this hoop and everything, I land on my feet and it’s wonderful.”
“Once I did that,” he added, “I realized that, wow, I felt such an incredible relief.”
A year later, Osborne has been widely embraced by the LGBTQ community, and his music career is hotter than ever. In November, the Brothers Osborne received Grammy nominations for their latest album, “Skeletons,” and single, “Younger Me.” That same month, they picked up their fourth Vocal Duo of the Year award at the 2021 CMA Awards.
Elsewhere in the interview, Osborne said he and John will soon be heading back to the studio to work on new music. In spite of their success, however, the two men still feel like “underdogs” in the country genre.
“We’ve always been a little bit of an outcast in some regards,” he said. “And even though we have won awards and have had a lot of success or more success than we ever thought that we would, I still feel all the time that we’re just kind of these underdogs that always need to prove ourselves. And so I’m just going to keep doing that.”
Apple Music Country will air Hagood’s full interview with the Brothers Osborne on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. EST. After that, it will be available for on-demand streaming.
Hagood, a fellow country artist, launched “Trailblazers Radio” on Apple Music Country last month. The show aims to “celebrate the groundbreaking artists and sounds that have shaped country music,” as well as emphasize “the bold risk-takers who helped expand and change the face of the genre and more,” according to press notes.