For the past three weeks people have been trying to guess which country singer was going to come out in this week's issue of People. Well, the answer is Chely Wright. Last week the popular guess was Shelby Lynne. At least I have heard of Shelby. This was supposed to be some huge country star. Nothing against Chely, but she hasn't even had an original album in like five years and no hits in like 7.
The way her publicist was talking and the way websites were devoted to it you would have thought it was going to be someone like Trisha Yearwood or Amy Grant. Reba even. Now that would have been a coming out party. I am always happy when someone comes out and can live their life openly and honestly. Very happy. I just wish they would do it at a time when they were not trying to sell a new book and album. If you want to be free, then be free, why are you making money off it?
Oh, and according to Chely's Wiki page she and Brad Paisley used to have a little something something going on. His response should be coming in five, four, three...
Well, the plan worked, assuming it was to garner buzz regarding her- because I had to take a spin around google just to find out who the hell she was, and apparently I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeletei met her recently. wow, so had no clue about this. she's super-cool...my $ is on her pr peeps having talked a good game, and her falling into like mind. i guarantee the strategy to launch all at the same time did not come from her.
ReplyDeleteHow convenient, as the Church Lady might say. My other mock response is "whew, now I can get on with my own life." I'm on the "she needs the press" bandwagon. Seriously, who cares? At this point, why do coming out statements need to be such a bru-ha-ha. Why can't they do it like Anna Paquin did in that PSA Enty posted?
ReplyDeleteoh fuck her AND fuck People.
ReplyDeletethat folks, is trading on your sexuality.
ROFL @ JAX
ReplyDeleteI don't know who she is and I don't care. I don't understand why someone needs to make a cover magazine-full story statement about their sexuality. If Jake G. comes out that's a another story.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to slam her for it. Coming out in Nashville has to be bloody difficult.
ReplyDeleteJust because some people haven't heard of her doesn't negate how tough a decision it must have been for her to make.
Who honestly thought it was going to be someone massive? It's never someone massive. Wake up.
When I saw who it was I said "WHO" LOLOLO
ReplyDeleteWho thought it would be someone massive? Oh, well, I did half expect it might be Dolly Parton. I'm sure some of you will think I'm joking.
ReplyDeleteI have always liked Chely Wright. She is quite a good singer but has been out of the spotlight for a while. I just hate it when people time this stuff when they have a book, movie, or CD to promote. Nothing wrong with being who you really are, but why do it to make more money or get more fame???
ReplyDeleteChely is a very talented singer/songwriter who had a VERY promising career in the '80s/'90s before big recording label shake-ups happened and left people like her out in the cold. She is very well liked in Nashville. I met her numerous times in my music columnist days. She's also a sweetheart.
ReplyDeleteAs von said, if you think coming out is difficult in LA, it's VERY bold to do this in Nashville. Sounds to me like she was ready and wanted to control how the news came out rather than re-launch her career and be outed by low-life scum like Perez.
You go, Chely! More power to ya, gal!
Had no idea who she was. I admire her for coming out and all, but really, does it require a People cover and all the surrounding hype? Methinks NO. It would have been fine as a tiny corner-of-the-page story.
ReplyDelete@Von's right, it's never someone massive. They're all hiding in their massive closets. At least until they write their autobiographies around age 70 and want to increase sales.
ReplyDelete@Tenley, right, there have been lesbian rumors about Dolly Parton for YEARS. Now that *would* be cool!
who?
ReplyDeleteand "coming out in Nashville" must be hard? Um, no. Nashville is not some redneck island. I have not nor never been gay but I can tell you that none of the gay music ppl that I know in Nashville have ever said anything about it being hard. I call bullshit on that.
@chihuahuense -
ReplyDeleteTrust an expert, coming out isn't simply a matter of opening the proverbial closet door.
Coming out itself is hard. And if you're anything of a celeb, it's even harder.
You'll also note that it's not a man coming out - that would be certain career death in C/W.
I didn't know it was supposed to be a country singer. I had never heard of this woman before, but now I have, so I guess "mission accomplished". Well, I applaud anyone for coming out publically, too bad that it is so obviously done for publicity in this case.
ReplyDeleteI was still hoping for Queen Latifah.
I've heard the name but not much else until Kristen Chenoweth started tweeting about how great Chely's new album is, and quite frankly, if Cheno says she has a great voice, I figure Chely Wright must be freakin' awesome. Time to hit Pandora & find out....
ReplyDeleteOk, touche, Merlin.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should have said "coming out in Nashville SPECIFICALLY would not be harder than any other city" I mean, I'm sure it's hard emotionally, etc, but it isn't like Nashvegas is some backwards po-dunk town that is like "OH MY GAWD!!! A LESBIAN!!! YOU WILL NEVER WORK IN THIS TOWN!!!" Sorry, I just don't buy that.
I'm rollin' with Jax. Way to cheapen the right to sleep with whoever the fuck you want. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteShe is an absolute NOTHING! She's trying to sell some stupid book and make herself relevant. What A HAS BEEN!
ReplyDeleteAlso, are we sure she didn't date Kenny Chesney and not Paisley? Just sayin'
Regardless, the stigma of coming out has wrecked many a career - for every Neal Patrick Harris who comes out and continues to work, you have a thousand others who cannot because of 1)their "image" (carefully cultivated to allay any such rumors); 2)continued societal intolerance of anything not "normal" - after all, in a country that freaks out the moment something as fundamental as a right to marry comes up in discussion, it's really hard to dismiss valid fears.
ReplyDeleteAnd besides, you need only look no further than any gossip page to see evidence of the common attitude towards "alternative sexuality".
Let some dirt get spilled about so and so and their being seen in something potentially salacious.
We're on it like sharks smelling blood, and hunting for more.
Being a gay woman who came out at work recently and was then immediately "laid off" after 6 years of a stellar work history in a hot bed of progressive-liberal Portland, Or, coming out is NEVER easy when it comes to your career. (Ok, maybe I was laid off for my run-on sentences). I did not know whom Chely was before this story hit the gossip blogs and People so I'm excited to be able to support a "sister"! And, DAMN, had I known what I know now, I wish I had been able to come out in People magazine for some severance pay!
ReplyDelete