Daniel Pitout, known professionally as Orville Peck,[3] is a South African[1][2] country musician based in Canada.[4] He wears a fringed mask and has never shown his face publicly.[4][5][6] He released his debut album Pony in 2019,[4] followed by the EP Show Pony the next year. His second studio album Bronco was released on April 8, 2022. Peck was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and lived there until he was 15.[1] As a child, Peck taught himself music by playing on an acoustic guitar and an old Casio keyboard.[7] He is the son of a sound engineer, and he did voice-over work for cartoons and other media as a child.[8] Growing up, he trained in ballet for 12 years, and performed in musical theatre. By the time he was in his early 20s, Peck had been on national tours of musicals. In his mid-20s, he moved to London to study acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and later starred in a play on the West End. “Orville Peck” is a pseudonym;[9] he has been described as “presumably older than 20 and younger than 40”. Peck self-produced his debut album, Pony, and released it in 2019 through a collaboration with Sub Pop.[10] He has noted that he “wrote, produced and played every instrument he could” on the album while working in a coffee shop and living with his parents.[11] In June of that year, he performed his songs “Dead of Night” and “Take You Back” live on CBC Radio One’s Q.[12] Pony was named to the initial longlist for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize in June 2019.[13] The album also received a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2020. Peck performed “Dead of Night” on Jimmy Kimmel Live on January 29, 2020.[15] He also announced a tour of selected cities in the United States, including performances at the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals. In May 2020, Peck announced the follow-up to his debut album, an EP titled Show Pony, with a release date of June 12, 2020. In July, 2020, Peck announced the delayed release of Show Pony until August 14, 2020, in recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing protests against police brutality in the United States. Peck recorded a cover of “Smalltown Boy” for the 2020 Pride edition of the Spotify Singles series. The song was released exclusively on Spotify on June 29, 2020, and everywhere else on July 31, 2020. In April 2021, Peck was featured on American drag queen and singer Trixie Mattel’s EP, Full Coverage, Vol. 1. He appeared on the song “Jackson”, a duet cover of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash’s “Jackson”.[19] Although not credited in the liner notes for the EP, Trixie Mattel has confirmed that the whistle part in “Video Games” is Orville’s whistle.[20] In June, he was revealed to be the sixth artist on Lady Gaga’s Born This Way The Tenth Anniversary, with Peck reimagining the song “Born This Way” in a country style.[21] On March 16, 2023, Peck made an appearance as a guest on the judge’s panel on MTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, alongside RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, and Ross Mathews.[22] In 2023, Peck was a coach and judge on My Kind of Country. It has been confirmed that Orville Peck is a persona of Daniel Pitout, drummer of the Canadian punk band Nü Sensae.[3] Previously it had been speculated that Pitout was Peck based on the similarity of Peck’s tattoos,[24][25] as well as Peck mentioning that he was in a punk band. Pitout was born in Johannesburg, South Africa,[26] as was Peck.[1] Pitout also starred as a replacement in Peter Pan Goes Wrong in the West End in 2016,[27] which lines up with Peck mentioning he was in a West End play while he lived in London.[8] Pitout is also listed by ASCAP as the songwriter for Peck’s song “Old River”[28] and other songs that match the titles of the songs released by Peck, such as “Roses Are Falling” Peck strongly identifies with 1970s era country music and lists classic stars Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Bobbie Gentry, Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton as influences. Outside of country music, Peck has mentioned Roy Orbison, Oasis, Whitney Houston and Lana Del Rey and film directors David Lynch and John Waters as influences. Peck is gay.[24][32] Regarding his reasons for wearing a mask to perform, Peck has stated that “the only reason I don’t talk about it in depth is not because I want to dodge any questions, but because I want people to have their own take on it. I don’t want to lay it out and pin it down. I just don’t think that’s important.” Die Kavalier, the stage persona of Malcolm Watson, the renowned South African guitarist, singer, and songwriter of the 1970s and 1980s, was characterized by his mesmerizing instrumental guitar albums. Watson’s musical repertoire showcased a harmonious blend of traditional Afrikaans folk tunes, pop melodies, and rock influences. A distinctive aspect of Die Kavalier’s on-stage presence was his enigmatic persona, often veiled behind a cavalier mask.
