Orville Peck, the masked country singer known for his enigmatic persona, was in the middle of a soundcheck in late August when he received the news that Dolly Parton had passed away. The revelation hit him hard, especially since he had long admired Parton as a beacon of comfort and inspiration, particularly as a gay man navigating the traditionally conservative world of country music. With no time to process the news, Peck chose to confront his grief on stage, performing an emotional rendition of Parton’s classic “I Will Always Love You” before a live audience. “I had to work through it with 400 strangers,” he later reflected, describing the moment as an impromptu memorial. “We all got to sort of mourn together.” Mortality has been a central theme in Peck’s recent work. His latest album, Mule, is a raw and unfiltered chronicle of what he calls “the most important year of my life”—a period marked by heartbreak, self-destruction, and a near-fatal overdose. The album opens with a haunting a cappella track, Prologue (Eulogy of a Man Turned Mule), performed by Emmylou Harris, Allison Russell, and Noah Cyrus. The song imagines a memorial for Peck if he hadn’t recovered from his overdose, reflecting on themes of self-sacrifice and isolation. “I still wanted to add some kind of theatrical element,” Peck explains, acknowledging that even in his most honest work, he couldn’t fully abandon the dramatic flair that defines his music. Peck rose to fame in 2019 during a surge in country music’s popularity, as artists like Lil Nas X and Kacey Musgraves helped bring the genre to a wider audience. While Peck kept his identity hidden behind a mask, he openly embraced his sexuality and became a symbol of queer visibility in a genre once known for its traditionalism. His baritone voice, reminiscent of Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, and his collaborations with stars like Elton John and Willie Nelson, helped solidify his place in the industry. He also made his Broadway debut in 2025 as the Emcee in a revival of Cabaret. Despite his success, Peck’s journey has not been without struggle. His previous albums were filled with metaphor and storytelling, but Mule is more direct, chronicling his journey through addiction, recovery, and self-acceptance. Peck’s path to sobriety was not easy. After a particularly dark period in 2023, including a near-fatal overdose and a breakup, he entered rehab reluctantly. He describes his initial resistance to the process as a result of his fear of conforming and a belief that he was different from others. Over time, he came to see that his struggles with addiction were linked to the pressures of fame and the tension between his public persona and private self. “I had to drop all of the traumas and the hang-ups and the defenses and the patterns,” he says. “And look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘Get your shit together.’” Today, with three years of sobriety behind him, Peck is focused on his music, his fans, and finding love again. His journey, while difficult, has led him to a place of clarity and resilience.