Ty herndon people magazine
Ty Herndon & Jamie O’Neal “Merry Christmas, Baby”
About Ty Herndon
Ty Herndon burst onto the country noun scene and made his chart debut in with “What Mattered Most,” which became his first No. 1 song and garnered a Song of the Year award (Music Row Magazine). It was also the title track to his first album, which debuted on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and had the biggest first-week shipment in the history of Epic Records Nashville. Between and , Herndon charted 17 singles, including his three No.1s and numerous top 10 hits, such as “I Want My Goodbye Back,” “Loved Too Much,” “A Man Holding On,” and “Hands of a Working Man.” He topped the charts in with the single “Living in a Moment” and again in with “It Must Be Love.”
In , Herndon became the first major male nation artist to publicly come out as gay in an exclusive with People magazine. He received an outpouring of support that only strengthened his relationship with fans and the country noun community, all while expanding his reach to new and diverse audiences. Shortly after, he made history when he hoste
An interview with country singer Ty Herndon.
by Gregg Shapiro
Country singer Ty Herndon, who began topping the country music charts nearly 20 years ago, came out publicly as a gay man just before Thanksgiving That’s something for which country music fans—both gay and straight—can be thankful. A country chart-topper in the s, Herndon’s hits include “What Matters Most,” “Living in a Moment,” “It Must Be Love,” and “Loved Too Much,” to mention a few. An out and proud gay man, he has a partner of five years named Matty.
Herndon is one of Nashville’s LGBT artists working to make the country-music capital a reliable and productive place for queer musicians and queer followers of the popular musical genre. I spoke with Ty about coming out, his career, and more in sdelayed November
Gregg Shapiro: It’s been about five days since your coming-out story ran on and you were discussed on CBS’s The Talk, CNN, and interviewed on Entertainment Tonight. How has the experience been so far?
Ty Herndon: I experience so incredibly blessed. I contain struggled with being gay my entire career and life.
It&#;s official! This weekend, country melody star and long time supporter of GLAAD, Ty Herndon and now husband Alex Schwartz said &#;I do&#; at a beautiful farm ceremony.
&#;We like to call it noun chic,&#; Herdon said in an interview with People Magazine. The joyous occasion was celebrated with over guests including Kristin Chenoweth and her fiancé Josh Bryant, as well as GLAAD&#;s Vice President of Communications & Talent Anthony Allen Ramos.
“We just wanted a space and a place that could accommodate our eclectic group of friends and family to celebrate love, life, and our future together. That was the main thing that was significant to us — and that everyone have a lot of fun,” Herndon told People.
“I treasure his goofiness, his heart, his loyalty, the way he looks at me, the way he holds me, and the way I feel safe with him,&#; says Herndon told People about Schwartz. &#;And I pray to God that I am all those things to him. He has taught me how to love better and how to be a better human.&#; Herndon met his husband at a mutual friend&#;s dinner party in
Ty Herndon’s life has been marked, but not defined by, trials and tribulation. While some songwriters struggle to capture authentically relatable narratives in their music, Ty Herndon’s lived experiences have played out just like any excellent country song.
Herndon, who shot to stardom with his debut album What Mattered Most in , has taken the lemons life has handed him and made sweet Southern lemonade in the form of his latest album, Jacob, out July
The singer, who became the first male mainstream country star to publicly come out back in via an exclusive People magazine interview, has been busy promoting his new album on top of his other commitments.“I think this is the first time I’ve sat down today,” Herndon says, laughing.
Reflecting on those early days of choosing to come out to the world, Herndon says, “The gift of singing has stood strong and been protected by a higher power. All this great stuff was happening for me and my career.” Chely Wright, Herndon’s fellow queer country friend and confidante, gave him some much-needed advice: “She said, ‘Le