Country star Orville Peck has gotten candid about his addiction battle - and how he managed to get sober. As reported by People, he opened up about his experiences in an upcoming Good Morning America interview.
The country star's newest album, Mule, releases on September 18. He wrote the songs based on his darkest year - where he overdosed.
The South African country star said about his intimate topic choice, "I know that when I am the most vulnerable and go the deepest with my lyrics, it's something that other people really connect with. So I'm scared - I mean, it's really personal stuff that is frightening to talk about with anybody... Never mind release to strangers."
He then went on to recall what he describes as his breaking point. In 2023, his work-life balance had become quite unbalanced. "I was already sort of hanging on by my fingernails," he admitted. In June of that year, he broke up with his longtime partner.
"...In terms of the pressure I felt to perform, the pressure I felt about this new level of fame, and then I went through this breakup," he explained.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Country Star Explained the Night He Overdosed
And the night he overdosed came at a pretty inopportune time. It was the evening before one of his biggest shows in New York - he ended up running into his ex. The country star explained what happened next.
"I think when you're so deeply in a crisis and you're just coping day to day, especially adding on the anguish that drugs and alcohol do to your nervous system, it was like the last nail in the coffin, where I just went into a completely dark spiral." That night, he tried to commit suicide by overdosing.
He reflected on that night: "It's easy when you are so low to think that there's no way out of it."
His album reflects on that night, as well as his journey to becoming sober. It's a pretty serious tone shift after albums upon albums about horses and country life. "I felt trapped between two worlds," he explained. "The public persona, [and] the private life. Which is sort of a mule, trapped between being a donkey and a horse, neither here nor there. I had to learn how to navigate that."
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
