The Cowgays Open Up About Religious Trauma, Allies In Country Music & Who They Want to Tour With
Categoria: Musica
"Good Hoedown," with a video starring Kylie Sonique Love, follows viral single "Wish I Wasn’t Gay."
Por Billboard | 01/05/2026
On Feb. 18, The Cowgays posted their first TikTok video , a clip of their debut single, “Wish I Wasn’t Gay,” and scored nearly 400,000 views. Dressed up in their finest cowboy/girl outfits, including a faux-cowhide vest and chaps, the trio — comprised of singer-songwriters Adam Mac, Brooke Eden and Chris Housman — stir up the spirit of ‘90s country with spine-tingling harmonies, story-driven lyrics and a whole lotta pink-hued drama. Collectively, they have released four albums, four EPs and various pop-country singles. Their catalogs, particularly Housman’s “Blueneck,” Eden’s “Act Like You Don’t” and Mac’s “Dust Off Your Boots,” are just as flashy and polished for radio play as anything currently on the airwaves. But in 2026, it’s difficult not to look around and feel like they don’t belong in country music — or anywhere near Music Row. “It feels hard when [Trump’s] putting out pictures of him being Jesus and God, and then saying, ‘All hail, Allah,’” says Eden. “For the Christians and the MAGAs of America, you gotta start being like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is not the person that we thought you were — even though you told us that you were this person. You also told us you were that person, and we just believed what we wanted to believe.’ “There have been times when I felt much freer,” she continues, noting that it’s especially scary when many cities across the United States have pulled back their upcoming Pride events. “Nashville Pride used to be three days, but this year, it’s one. Nashville should be all about queer country at Pride. It’s definitely saddening to see. But I also feel like in an environment where we are right now, it’s even more important that we are putting out music that is just gay as can be — being ourselves and being this collective community for people.” Mac feels the heat rising, too. “A few years back, it felt like there were going to be real strides forward. When you came out, Brooke, and T.J. [with Brothers Osborne] came out, it was almost going to be a renaissance of queer acceptance,” he offers. “Recently, the pendulum has swung back the other way, and now it’s feeling like… ‘law here, law there, suppress. You can’t do this. None of this.’ I have to believe that we’re trucking through this, and on the other side, we will swing back, and that will be where The Cowgays land.” In the aftermath of going viral with their debut outing, the group unleashes their second single, “Good Hoedown,” a blast of boot-scootin’ fun akin to Brooks & Dunn and Tracy Byrd on Friday (May 1). “Luck ain’t a lady, and neither am I,” they sing, layering golden harmonies you might have found on The Chicks’ Wide Open Spaces . In the music video, The Cowgays team up with the Georgia-born winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season six, Kylie Sonique Love. With a ‘90s country sparkle in their eyes, The Cowgays are nothing if not totally committed to rekindling their love of Faith Hill and