Since the release of his debut album, “Pony,” in 2019, country star Orville Peck has stood out among many of his country contemporaries. Through his old-school outlaw inspirations, status as an openly gay man in a traditionally straight-leaning genre and signature fashion style, Peck has established a strong fanbase that came out in droves for his event.

On Tuesday, Peck took the stage at Bovard Auditorium for an evening of music and conversation hosted by Jason King, dean of Thornton School of Music. The event was organized by Visions & Voices and assisted by the LGBTQ+ Student Center.

Following a brief introduction from Visions & Voices Executive Director Daria Yudacufski, Peck and King came onstage for a discussion on Peck’s career, artistic processes and more.

The conversation started with Peck’s signature masks, which he is rarely seen without. Peck said he uses the mask as a persona, similar to drag performances, in an amplified, theatrical version of something true to who a performer is.

He said there are moments he feels more like himself with the mask on rather than off.

“When I’m just walking around, a little bit insecure … that feels more like a mask at times,” Peck said. “When I put [the mask] on, and I sing my music and my lyrics, I feel like it’s the most private part of me, in a weird way.”

Attendee Zachary Cash Roe, a senior majoring in creative writing, said the difference between the writer, the narrator and the actual person was evident in Peck’s discussion of his persona, resulting in a layered effect in the musician’s work.

The night explored themes such as encouraging curiosity and creating space for everyone in country music and culture. In finding power in standing alone, Peck opened up about his journey with sobriety.

“There are going to be times in your life where it is clear that you are destined for a different path than maybe even the majority of people in your life,” Peck said. “But I’m so grateful that I often stick to my own path. It is a very positive, brave thing to embark on an adventure on your own in whatever capacity that may be.”

He also teased that his next album, which he has almost finished writing, is about the year he became sober and the peace that came with it, which was preceded by several major moments in his career, including his decision to cancel his “Bronco Tour.”

Curiosity emerged as a core tenet of Peck’s, describing it as vital for all creatives and encouraging artists to adopt it as well.

“If you expand your interests beyond just those things that you’re passionate about, you will find a broader identity as a person,” Peck said. “I sing a lot about places I’ve been, the experiences I’ve had in those places.”

Peck took care to note the country genre’s diverse roots, specifically noting that the image of the cowboy came from Mexico and several instruments iconic to the genre originated from Africa, Ireland and Hawai’i.

“Country music is diverse. It is from a time where everybody was an immigrant, unless you were an indigenous person, to this land, and that’s really all there is to it,” Peck said. “So anybody in this country is welcome and deserving to not only enjoy country music but make it and be a part of it.”

Peck honed in on queer voices in particular, discussing how his status as an openly queer person in country music enabled him to create opportunities for other artists as well.

“When I started to realize that me being queer in country music was this anomaly, it made me even more adamant that I belonged there,” Peck said. “It’s become the most proud part of my career. At first, I think I was scared of the responsibility, … but I feel very proud of it.”

Peck furthered a connection between the queer community and country music, specifically in their use of humor, when discussing his cover of Ned Sublette’s “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other” and its relation to hokum music, a subgenre that mixes classic country sounds with campy, comedic lyrics.

“Sometimes you can teach more people approaching things with humor, likeness, comedy, laughing at yourself,” Peck said. “That’s a big proponent of queer comedy. We laugh at ourselves first to stop other people from laughing at us.”

When talking about Peck’s annual Rodeo music festival, King discussed queer theorist José Muñoz’s theory of queer worldmaking, which examines how queer people create their own worlds, acting as safe havens in societies that marginalize queer voices. Attendee Kyle Pavia, an alum with a master’s in public relations and advertising, found the concept enlightening.

“I like going out. I like being in queer spaces. I like being able to escape and detach a little bit from reality, to find a world where I can just be authentically myself and let loose,” Pavia said. “I thought [the theory] was really magical and gave me a whole perspective of the types of queer spaces that I step into.”

Following the conversation, Peck brought out bandmates Evan Weiss and Emily Rose to perform “C’mon Baby, Cry” from “Bronco” and “Oh My Days” from his EP “Appaloosa.” He closed the night with his rendition of “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other” from “Stampede,” and “Dead of Night” from “Pony,” which received great acclaim from the audience.

“[‘Dead of Night’] was the first Orville Peck song that I’ve ever heard,” Pavia said. “Seeing that live, and hearing him sing live, it was like the voice of an angel.”