Little Big Town’s Christmas At The Opry was a seminal moment in country music, filled with many unforgettable performances, including Orville Peck’s unbelievable rendition of “Christmas All Over Again” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers!
However, viewers experiencing Peck for the first time probably asked themselves one question: Why was he wearing a mask?
The answer is complicated. Here’s everything fans need to know:
Why does Orville Peck wear a mask?
As a highly successful queer country music star, Peck has worn a different mask each time he’s performed on stage. While ultimately, nobody really knows the backstory behind Peck’s eccentric fashion choice, that hasn’t stopped the influential artist from answering questions about his masks over the years.
Although the star once joked that he “just woke up one day and it was on my face,” Peck prefers to keep the story behind his face covering as a mystery for the most part.
In a 2020 interview with GQ, Peck revealed that it’s ultimately up to his fans to theorize the importance of his many, many masks.
“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,” he explained. “I don’t want to lay it out and pin it down. I just don’t think that’s important.”
While his music stands out on its own — albums like 2022’s Bronco reached as high as #11 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart — his mask has become just as much a point of conversation for fans and critics alike.
Will Orville Peck ever show his face while performing?
Earlier in his career, Peck wore different types of fringed masks that completely covered his face — and although his mask seems to be shrinking as the days go by, he hasn’t completely taken the iconic fashion choice out of his repertoire.
“I’m revealing a little more and more each time,” Peck explained in a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone. “Not to get too deep about it, but it’s sort of a parallel with my songwriting and with just who I want to be as an artist and a person, which is to always be more vulnerable and reveal a bit more of myself through my music. So it’s kind of just the evolution. I don’t know where it’ll end up and I don’t know how it’ll look in the end. I don’t make any plans about it. But I think that’s important.”
So will he continue to (partially) hide his face for the rest of his career? That’s a question only Peck can answer.
“I really like evolution with artists, and I think the mask has always meant a lot to me artistically,” he said. “But I start to become bored of it. It loses its quality for me. But I also think it can hold you back a little bit sometimes if you’re sticking with one thing.”
Ultimately, fans can surmise that Peck dons the mask every time he takes the stage for one reason and one reason only: Because he can!
