Country star Orville Peck is kissing and telling on his new album Mule.
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The 38-year-old singer said his family and supporting cast gave him the green light to be brutally honest on the new project.
Peck used that freedom to confess that he once shared a kiss with an NFL player.
In "Ring the Bell," Peck sings, "I love the Lakers, the Mets and the Longhorns, made out with a guy on the Raiders."
The lyric has sparked widespread speculation about which Las Vegas Raiders player the singer allegedly smooched.
Peck told Variety that the unidentified footballer permitted him to write the lyric under the agreement that he remain anonymous.
Orville Peck Opens Up About Kissing NFL Player
"I'm going to preface this by saying that I did receive permission to sing that lyric from the subject in question. He was very thrilled," Peck says. "I told him, 'Look, I'm gonna keep it sort of ambiguous and mysterious, but I would like to include this in this song.' He was very, very honored."
He continues, "I would never have done it if it were somebody who was hiding or fearful of it coming out. This person would have probably allowed me to say their name if I wanted. I didn't think it was necessary. People can use their own common sense and discovery to try to figure out who it may be. That's all I'll say."
Social media users have speculated that the lyric could be about Carl Nassib. Nassib famously became the first openly gay active NFL player with the Las Vegas Raiders in June 2021.
"Just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay," Nassib said on Instagram. "I've been meaning to do this for a while now. But I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest. I really have the best life. I've got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for. "
"I'm a pretty private person, so I hope you guys know I'm not really doing this for attention. I just think that representation and visibility are so important," he added.
Peck did not confirm or deny that his lyrical reference was about Nassib.
