T.J. Osborne of the Brothers Osborne publicly shares he identifies as gay
T.J. Osborne, the lead vocalist of Brothers Osborne, the band he formed with his brother John Osborne, has publicly shared for the first time that he is gay.
The “Stay a Little Longer,” singer tells Time that while his close-knit Nashviile community knew for years, he is now ready to tell the world.
“I’m very comfortable being gay,” Osborne told the publication, adding, “I find myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don’t have a problem with. That feels so strange.”
He added that he knows some fans will ask why he needed to come out, saying: “People will ask, ‘Why does this even need to be talked about?’ and personally, I agree with that.’ But for me to show up at an awards show with a man would be jaw-dropping to people. It wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, cool!'”
The CMA Award winning singer said he just wants to be himself.
“I want to get to the height of my career being completely who I am,” he said. “I mean, I am who I am, but I’ve kept a part of me muted, and it’s been stifling.”
Osborne is currently the only openly gay artist signed to a major country label, Time reports, with Osborne saying he’s “curious how this will go.”
His brother completely backs him, saying he’s known for a long time and supports his decision to go public.
“If I had to have all my money and success erased for my brother to be truly fulfilled in life,” John said, “I wouldn’t even think about it. Not for a second.”
Osborne added that not sharing his full identity with the public had felt “so lonely and isolating,” and decided he needed to give his supporters more credit for being open minded.
“There are times when I think I’ve marginalized this part of me so that I feel better about it,” he said. “And I realize that it is a big part of who I am: The way I think, the way I act, the way I perform. God, think of all the times that we talk about love, and write about love. It’s the biggest thing we ever get to feel. And I’ve kept the veil on,” he said.
Osborne also talked about his coming out journey on social media.
