Brothers Osborne‘s “Younger Me” looks back with gratitude. Childhood wasn’t always easy — but, as TJ Osborne sings, “those trips around the sun / I needed every one.”
Osborne co-wrote “Younger Me” with his brother and duo partner John and songwriter and artist Kendell Marvel after seeing the response to his decision to publicly come out as gay in early February, a press release shares. The Osbornes co-produced the song, which is a true family affair: John plays nearly every instrument, and his wife, singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas, sings background vocals.
A synthesizer creates an ’80s vibe throughout “Younger Me.” This song would have been the end-credits soundtrack to a John Hughes movie if it existed four decades ago.
With a Time feature announcing the news, TJ Osborne became one of only a handful of publicly out mainstream country artists. His family and friends have known for years that TJ is gay, but the singer only recently decided he “want[s] to get to the height of my career being completely who I am” to fans and the rest of the world, too.
While TJ received quite a bit of support from family, friends and fans alike after coming out, John Osborne, in particular, offered praise for his brother and bandmate’s decision. ”He’s always had my support; no matter what, he will continue to have my support,” John said at the time. ”It’s an honor to call him my brother — he’s a beautiful, amazing human being: so talented, so caring, so giving.”
“Right now I feel so incredibly loved … I’m like, ‘God, I wish that I could share this love with other people, and to feel this way,'” TJ Osborne told Ellen DeGeneres days after the Time feature ran. “And then to have people that I never expected to say anything reaching out to me, people that I think personify masculinity and straight culture to the nth degree who are coming out with a lot of pride for me.”
Brothers Osborne, originally from Maryland, released their third studio album, Skeletons, in 2020. They announced on Thursday (April 15) that they’ll tour in support of the project beginning in late July.
Brothers Osborne will perform two songs from Skeletons — their current single, “I’m Not for Everyone,” and “Deadman’s Curve” — at Sunday’s (April 18) 2021 ACM Awards, at which they’re nominated for Duo of the Year and Album of the Year. They’ll also perform “Younger Me” during an Xfinity-exclusive bonus performance, available to watch on YouTube and through Xfinity-enabled devices.
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