Brothers Osborne have blazed a path for themselves in country music by being fearless both lyrically and sonically. The duo of brothers John and TJ Osborne hail from Maryland and were raised in a musical household before descending upon Music City with their rugged sound that masterfully blends John’s guitar expertise with TJ’s smooth-as-molasses voice. The brothers are just as compelling with their words outside of music—check out some of their thought-provoking quotes about art, life, individuality, and unapologetically being themselves.
[RELATED: American Songwriter September/October Cover Story: Brothers Osborne—Nothing to Hide]
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1. “How often, in life, do we hold back parts of ourselves and wish that we didn’t?” – John Osborne
2. “I want to get to the height of my career being completely who I am.” – TJ Osborne
3. “Instead of always kind of having the veil there, I think it’s time to remove that and lean into who we are.” – TJ Osborne
4. “At this point, my happiness is more valuable than anything else I’d ever be able to achieve.” – TJ Osborne
5. “I wouldn’t say we’ve paid much of a price, but we’ve pissed a lot of people off by being ourselves.” – John Osborne
6. “But the worst thing for creativity is to have boundaries.” – TJ Osborne
7. “If art reflects life, then it should change. Life evolves, popularity evolves, personal philosophy can evolve, and it should reflect that.” – John Osborne
8. “The musician’s role and artist’s role at the end of the day is just to give people an escape for a moment. Sometimes life can be a trial.” – John Osborne
9. “I didn’t think I’d want to talk about being gay this much. And then when I came out, there was just this calling. I wouldn’t even call it an obligation. It just felt like a purpose.” – TJ Osborne
10. “We all have a younger self in us – thank them because they got you here and take care of that person.” – John Osborne
Photo by Natalie Osborne/Courtesy of Q Prime
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