When Queer Country Meets Music Row
Editor Rachel Cholst examines Lily Rose and Angie K's approaches to defending their identity in country music
What is country music, really? There's an entire taxonomy of guitar-music-with-a-twang, (just ask Wolf Elfmand's "Don't Call It Country") and a lot of those labels are created for audiences to either distance themselves – or draw closer – to Nashville's Music Row, a chunk of town across the river from Broadway that contains hulking corporate suites and the power to make or break an artist's career.
Rainbow Rodeo is here to uplift those who don't want to accede to those executives' expectations of what country music sounds like or, more importantly, looks like. We're here for the artists who choose to color outside the lines, but also those who expect the lines to be redrawn around them. While there are a small but determined cadre of people in Nashville working towards that goal, there's music coming out now that suggests some strategies to take: one is Lily Rose's EP True North, and the other is Angie K's self-titled EP, which came out last week.
Rose has a fantastic voice and the uncomfortable distinction of being the only out solo artist pushed by music row. (TJ Osborne being the other one – and the fact that there are only two is laughable.) Rose's music carefully avoids overt references to being queer. (She has said in the past that she wants to be seen as a country singer, not "the gay country singer.") True North is a solid, rock-steady collection of songs that worry if youth is too fleeting and what to do with it while you have it.
There are also the usual questions about leaving home, building one elsewhere, but relishing everything there is to return to. Where True North stands tallest, though, is when Rose moves beyond the abstract and focuses on what makes her special. "Two Flowers" has a sense of care and pride – and there's just something in Rose's voice that isn't present in the other songs. It's not that "True North" and others aren't genuine, but we get the sense that "Two Flowers" is personal.
By contrast, Angie K, who's already released a few EPs, is committed to creating a style of country music that's all her own. "Red Dirt on Mars," is as country as it gets: it's twangy, it's got a great pun, it makes heartbreak funny.
"Stay" proudly reflects K's El Salvadoran background – something that makes her special. "Death Of Me," meanwhile is a straight-ahead rocker that would feel at home if song by Steven Tyler. Angie K sparkles with verve and creativity, a statement by an artist who has planted her feet and is proud of where she stands.
Country music values authenticity, but the country music business often sees it as a liability. Both artists take different approaches to asserting themselves through their music – one more subtle than the other.
Sign up as a paid subscriber to read the rest!
