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In this issue of Hit Parader, Orville Peck invites readers deep into the philosophy behind Appaloosa, his most self-defining release to date. In a wide-ranging and revealing conversation, Peck traces how a lifetime of movement, from South Africa to the American South, shaped his understanding of country music as something porous, regional, and alive. He reflects on the spotted horse at the heart of Appaloosa as a mirror for his own journey, embracing difference not as an obstacle but as artistic power. From bluegrass nights in Kentucky VFW halls to the teenage creative instinct that still guides his decisions, Peck speaks candidly about how instinct, travel, and refusal to flatten himself into expectation continue to shape his work.

The story also finds Peck confronting the deeper questions that have followed him since the beginning. He discusses the evolving meaning of the mask, his moment of fear and clarity stepping onstage unmasked in Cabaret, and the way concealment became a philosophy rather than a gimmick. Peck opens up about worldmaking, creative safety, and the quiet responsibility of visibility in a genre that once left little room for artists like him. Grounded, generous, and unguarded, Peck reflects on influence without ego, gratitude without nostalgia, and growth without compromise. It is a portrait of an artist moving from myth toward meaning, and a Hit Parader cover story that captures Orville Peck exactly where he stands now, fully self-possessed and still defiantly singular.

• 112 pages of content (no ads)
• 15+ interviews with today's biggest artists