PREMIERE: Queer Country Artist Adam Mac Announces New Album Southern Spectacle for 24 October with 'Old Photograph'

"Southern Spectacle has been two years in the making,” shares Adam Mac about his forthcoming album, announced today for 24 October. "It’s bold, vulnerable, and the most authentic I’ve ever been on a record. Every track is drawn from a lived experience, stories shaped by setbacks and triumphs. It’s my queer country experience seen through a technicolor neon lens. This album is me stepping into my power as a Southern Spectacle, and I hope folks find that same courage in themselves."

With his blend of soulful pop, Hi-NRG disco, classic country and gospel, Adam Mac is carving out a space in country music to celebrate queer joy and fearless truth in a genre that hasn’t always made room for it and Southern Spectacle is a bold declaration of self-expression, love, resilience and the freedom to live your life however you choose.

The album includes the monster viral hit 'Dust Off Your Boots' plus recent singles 'All Dollars, No Sense,' 'Last Rodeo' and the title track. Today, Holler exclusively gets to share another of the country gems from the album with 'Old Photograph.’

A powerful country pop anthem about being in the wrong place at the right time that showcases his soulful expressive vocals, it's no wonder his fans have started calling him "cowBoy George.”

"Picture this you and me 19 not a clue just wasting time / Can you imagine the trouble we’d find had these stars aligned," he sings as the song crashes around him. "I would’ve had no way of knowing / I just needed some growing to love you right like I do now."

“‘Old Photograph’ is about gratitude for timing,” shares Mac about the new single. “How meeting the right person at the wrong time could’ve meant they’d only ever be a memory. But instead of being just an old photograph in the back of a drawer, you get to build a life with your person.”

Listen to 'Old Photograph' below

At a time when the LGBTQ+ community remains under attack from administrations and the media all over the world, it feels more important than ever to shine a spotlight on Adam Mac's own musical journey, which hasn't been without adversity.

He grabbed headlines in 2023 when protestors forced him to cancel a hometown performance in his conservative hometown of Russellville, KY, that ignited a national conversation around inclusion in country music. When Mac proudly signed on to headline a hometown music festival, a small group threatened to disrupt the event. Fearing things could get ugly, he cancelled the show with deep disappointment – but the bullying backfired. The story went public bringing waves of support, including Kelsey Ballerini and Maren Morris, who invited Mac to open her Lunatic Tour in Chicago. The national media also took notice, with Mac’s music hailed by Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Out, GLAAD, and PEOPLE, who called the talent “country music’s very own Elton John.”

The end result is Southern Spectacle, a definitive intersection of country music and queer identity. Louder and prouder than ever, and with a true community in his corner, Mac dives further into the world he established on Disco Cowboy.

“It’s so autobiographical to me, and also the starting point of where we left off,” he says. “This is the most honest I’ve been in any music – I really held no filter on it.”

“This album is a journey through a multitude of feelings – from feeling like you stand out in a small town, to growing up with an older sibling who was the epitome of everything your father wanted,” he says. “It feels like the complete story of where I’ve been, especially after the past two years.”

Through Adam’s experience there is a really positive story to tell here, and for every protestor there were even more local family and friends standing up in support of him and ashamed of what happened. That's not just true in his hometown, and Southern Spectacle is a loud-and-proud soundtrack for those who break the mould anywhere and a timely reminder for us all to amplify not just our own voices, but the voices of everyone we love and believe in.

“I hope that my community feels seen and represented and safe, and they have words for things they felt but were never able to explain,” he says. “For people outside of our community, I just hope they feel the joy – because that’s the way to make change. How do you argue with someone’s happiness?”

Southern Spectacle is released on MacPfun Music on 24 October