Orville Peck chooses to remain anonymous. This strategy is not new with artists like Daft Punk, The Residents and MF Doom who have also preferred to conceal their identities and speak solely through their music and style. In Orville’s case, he is an enigmatic country character mixing Johnny Cash, Chris Isaak, the creative imagination of David Lynch, and the spectacular outfits of Porter Wagoner - all hidden beneath a mask.
Through his pseudonym, Orville keeps his identity secret, however it is something that even through a quick Google search (and some dedicated fan snooping) you can find. On the other hand, what he actually reveals to the public is all the more telling of the mysterious cowboy, whose handmade masks, inspired by his South African origins, tell a story beyond what is hidden.
Orville Peck, however, rejects mystery as a strategy to separate himself from the public, he finds his masks allow him to write extremely personal lyrics that through listening closely it is easy to find intimate references. A veil, allowing him to enter the country music landscape, a world historically foreign to the queer activism he advocates.
