T. J. Osborne
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T. J. Osborne

Country Rock Star

b. November 18, 1984

“Instead of always kind of having the veil there, I think it’s time to remove that and lean into who we are.”

T.J. Osborne is a Grammy-winning country-rock musician and the only openly gay artist signed to a major country music label. Known for hits such as “Stay a Little Longer” and “All Night,” he sings lead vocals in the duo Brothers Osborne.

Raised in Deale, Maryland, Thomas John Osborne grew up in a musical family. With his brother John, he performed locally with his father’s blues band and enjoyed singing and playing guitar for friends in their dad’s shed. John moved to Nashville for college. When T.J. graduated from high school two years later, he immediately relocated to join his brother.

After trying for some time to make it in the industry separately, the brothers decided to team up, with T.J. on lead vocals and John on lead guitar. In 2011, they signed their first publishing contract with Warner-Chappell. A year later, they landed a recording deal with EMI Nashville. Around this time, T.J. told John he was gay.

In 2013, Brothers Osborne released their first single, “Let’s Go There,” which debuted to limited success. In 2014, their second single met the same fate. Hoping for a better reception, EMI released the songs on an EP later that year. The EP reached the top 25 on the Billboard Top Country Albums list.

In 2015, the duo released their first hit, “Stay a Little Longer,” which led to their first full album, “Pawn Shop” (2016). The album eventually went platinum. In 2016 and 2017, Brothers Osborne won Vocal Duo of the Year awards from both the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association (CMA). Their next two albums, released in 2018 and 2020, reached the top five on the Billboard Country Albums chart.

In 2021, in an exclusive TIME magazine feature, T.J. came out as gay. He described his closeted life as “lonely and isolating” and said he channeled his feelings into his music. He appeared at the CMA Awards later that year with his boyfriend, Abi Ventura, with whom he shared a kiss upon winning another Vocal Duo of the Year award. In 2022, “Younger Me,” a song inspired by his coming out experience, earned a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

All told, Brothers Osborne have achieved four platinum and four gold singles. Among other recognition, they have been nominated for 10 Grammy’s and received six CMA and six ACM awards. Their album “Brothers Osborne” was released in 2023.