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Grammy-winning duo Brothers Osborne joined Bunnie Xo on a recent episode of Dumb Blonde.
The country stars — made up of John Osborne and TJ Osborne — shared stories about family, their music and more throughout the podcast. Bunnie shared a clip from the show on Instagram on Monday (June 16), showing how TJ Osborne reflected on coming out as a gay man in the country music industry, and the advice he would share to others.
“I was young,” TJ said when Bunnie asked when he first realized he was gay. The country star admitted he “didn’t really understand” at first, and “denied” it for a while. “It just didn’t feel like me. …Eventually, I just got to a point where, you know, I was in a relationship that I was really happy with. I was really happy where my life was… I was like, ‘this is time, you know, to do this for me.’”
TJ Osborne credited friends, colleagues and others in his life with their unwavering support when he came out as gay in early 2021. Bunnie asked the country star for the advice he would give to others, and he replied, “the most cliché thing, which is true, is it does get better. I mean, once you do it, there’s not a single person that I know that has come out that has not felt like they wished that they had done it earlier. ...The other thing is that I would say, there is never going to be a good time to do it. It’s awkward. It’s weird. I didn’t want the attention from it. It’s a strange, annoying thing that we have to do.
“Just be patient. It does get better,” he continued. “But also, don’t wait for this divine moment that’s gonna happen that’s just gonna suddenly happen. It rarely will ever come. You have to, at some point, just take that leap of faith and you’ll land on your feet and be happy you did.”
“Bunnie welcomes musical duo Brothers Osborne, TJ and John, the brothers who’ve rocked country music, redefined what it means to be family, and shown that being different might be your biggest superpower. They get into growing up in a blue collar Maryland town, TJ’s experience coming out and the meaning behind their Grammy win for ‘Younger Me,’ John and Lucie’s IVF journey, and how therapy helped them both through some of their hardest years. They also talk about never fitting the country music mold, how staying close as brothers kept them grounded in the music biz, and what’s coming next, including the single ‘Finish This Drink’ and a new album that brings them back to where it all started.”
Brothers Osborne released “Finish This Drink” earlier this year. It’s the duo’s first song to arrive since their 4-track EP, Break Mine. TJ teamed up with songwriter and producer Alysa Vanderheym on the anthem, which marked a full circle moment.
“When my brother and I were little our dad would always say that he would leave as soon as he finished his drink only to be there for the rest of the night,” TJ said in a statement at the time as he shared the story behind the song. “Fast-forward to a few years ago, I was grabbing a ‘couple drinks’ with Jaren Johnston (of The Cadillac Three) when a couple drinks turned into getting back home at 4 AM, and then I thought, well the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. A few mornings later, I’m having breakfast by myself at Waffle House, and I just started singing the chorus to myself and I had to go into the bathroom to record the idea so I wouldn’t forget it.”
Find the duo’s full conversation with Bunnie Xo on Dumb Blonde on iHeartRadio here.