Country Singer Comes Out as Transgender Woman: “For 26 Years, I’ve Tried To Be Anything but a Trans Person”

In April of 2025, Jenni Rose, lead singer of the music group The Vandoliers, spoke with Rolling Stone about her gender transition and how it has come to play in her career as an alt-country musician. Rose and the cowpunk alternative country band hail from Dallas, Texas, and currently have four studio albums under their belt.

Videos by American Songwriter

Since releasing their first studio album, Ameri-Kinda, in 2016, The Vandoliers have toured extensively and, as of now, they have plans to release their fifth studio album, Life Behind Bars, on June 27. Rose sat down with Rolling Stone to talk about the impending album, as well as how her coming out has positively impacted her career and personal life.

Jenni Rose Has Allowed Herself to be Jenni Rose

Despite realizing that at four she “didn’t want to be a boy,” Jenni Rose came out as a trans woman to her family last summer and to her bandmates later that same year. Concerning her reluctance to share this information, she told Rolling Stone, “I’ve always been very arms-length with people because of this.” “I didn’t want anybody to ever find out about it. For 26 years, I’ve tried to be anything but a trans person, and it never went away.”

Per her comments, it seems Rose’s decision to publicly come out has done nothing but good for her career and personal life. “It’s been great,” and “Jenni has way more friends. I never had friends. You can ask [Vandoliers bandmate] Cory [Graves] how many times I said I don’t have any friends outside the band. Now, I have a lot,” divulged Rose.

She added, “I finally opened up, and I allowed myself to have friends.” “I allowed myself to take care of myself, and I allow myself to just be me, regardless of what people are going to say or do. It has taught me to stick up for myself.”

In light of the upcoming album, Rose and The Vandoliers will roll out on their summer tour on June 21 in Denver, Colorado. After their summer tour concludes, the group will then hop across the pond in November to embark on their international tour.

Photo via YouTube