Orville Peck Talks ‘Vulnerable’ New Album

Orville Peck is returning to the music scene in just a few days with his brand-new album, “Mule.” In a new interview, the country music singer, known for wearing a mask and hiding his face from the public, said his upcoming batch of songs will be more “vulnerable” than ever. Peck, 38, also said he hopes the music will impact two communities close to his heart.

Peck, an openly gay man, told PEOPLE that he’s seen many queer people turn to drugs or other substances to cope with hardships, and it was a topic he wanted to write about on his new album.

“I hope that having an album that talks about it with openness and humor, as only a queer person probably could, about their hurt, opens a bit more awareness… not just for people going through addiction, but also people who have friends who are partying too much,” he said.

According to Peck, those in the queer community have gotten used to hiding how they really feel, likening it to being in “survival” mode. That reality, Peck said, is exactly why it’s “more important” to stay connected to family and friends.

Orville Peck Wants To Inspire Two Communities With His New Album

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Peck added that his new album isn’t just about feeling good; it’s about inspiring a “discerning courage” in the LGBTQ+ community and those in addiction recovery to feel better about sharing their feelings with each other.

“We have to become more attuned to noticing when someone is screaming out for help,” he said. “And we need to be better about feeling okay to reach out to the people we care about.”

For Peck, releasing this new album, which he challenged himself to be brutally honest on, is both “scary” and “freeing,” he said. However, to start a movement, one must lead by example.

“I always try to be vulnerable, but with Mule I tried to be as blatant as I could about what I was going through and not present that in metaphors or poetry,” he shared. “I usually leave it up for interpretation, but this time I wanted to call it what it is.”

Orville Peck Recalls Being A ‘Bad Addict’

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This isn’t the first time Peck has spoken candidly about personal challenges. In 2023, the “PONY” singer postponed his tour and admitted to dealing with mental health struggles.

In a 2026 interview, Peck opened up even more about that moment and said it was caused by his addiction to alcohol, according to The Blast.

“I was a bad addict, a coping alcoholic,” he shared. “And I had this spiral moment, where I went back to my hotel and tried to take my life. It was a big turning point for me, with a lot of realizations to come. It was something that needed to happen.”

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Peck isn’t the only celebrity in the queer community who has used their platform to spotlight serious concerns. “White Lotus” actor Lukas Gage previously spoke with The Blast about his book, “I Wrote This For Attention,” and said he wanted to inspire people with his own story.

“The message that I share throughout the book is that the little boy who was desperate for attention and love and validation became a man who was also a little bit desperate for love and validation and attention,” he said. “I try to share how that manifested. And I try to put a different spin on our innate human need for attention, our desire to be seen, and show how you can do that in a positive way instead of only being seen for negative attention.”

Gage Also Wanted To Shed More Light On A Helpful Resource

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In addition to talking about mental health, Gage said he also wanted to highlight the importance of PrEP in the queer community.

PrEP, a once-daily pill, can reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% when taken as prescribed, according to medical professionals.

“I think that the way that we become knowledgeable is to have an open conversation about these things and to not live in fear and uncertainty,” he told The Blast. “The way that we just bring awareness is that we step away from the taboo and from the stigma that we have wrapped around these topics.”