An artist nominated for Emerging Act of the Year in 2023 has described alleged backstage harassment at AmericanaFest, raising questions about the support available to queer performers.
The artist, whose name is not provided in the account, says the experience was followed by strained relationships, lost meetings and the eventual loss of their manager and agent during another album cycle.
Early hopes for a community
In 2017, the artist began writing country songs about racial injustice that would eventually form White Trash Revelry, while questioning where that work might find an audience.
That year, the artist won tickets to the Americana Honors & Awards and attended with their wife to see John Prine perform with Iris DeMent.
Jim Lauderdale hosted, combining introductions of country performers with political humor. Alynda Segarra wore a shirt reading “Jail Arpaio.” The artist recalls feeling that the event offered a potential community.
By 2020, the artist had appeared on the Americana charts, but AmericanaFest rejected their application that year and again in 2021.
The artist also describes queer country performers being rejected while independent queer showcases received institutional endorsement without necessarily receiving credentials, access or substantive support.
According to the account, some queer panel participants could not attend the remaining programming.
A nomination and a backstage encounter
In 2023, organizers approached the artist’s agent about an AmericanaFest performance. The artist declined twice before learning of the Emerging Act nomination and receiving an invitation to perform at the awards ceremony.
The artist agreed on condition that additional trans performers be included, supplying a list featuring Jessye DeSilva and She Returns From War. The account says organizers brought in additional trans artists.
After S.G. Goodman won the award, the artist says they went to their greenroom for recreational marijuana and encountered another performer who mocked their appearance.
The performer allegedly asked: “Young man, why do you have that shit on your face?” The artist responded: “Oh, that’s just lipstick is all.”
The account says the performer interrupted with: “Who are you? What is it you do?” Further comments targeted the artist’s makeup and nails.
The performer then allegedly said: “Boy, I bet you’d fuck a brick, wouldn’t you?” The artist recalls others laughing and says they left the festival in tears.
Response and professional consequences
The artist says the association asked whether they wanted the other performer’s award withdrawn. They did not seek that outcome, describing their priorities as care, accountability and institutional responsibility.
The account identifies the other performer as a Black woman but does not name her. The artist argues that withdrawing her award would not address the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
In the following days, the artist says some friends distanced themselves and others dismissed the incident as a joke. Meetings fell through.
A prospective manager allegedly told the artist that people connected to the association had advised him against meeting with them.
The artist subsequently completed another album cycle while losing their manager, agent and remaining team support. They describe continued efforts to obtain a resolution through persistence and professional relationships.
The account also identifies financial and personal costs associated with seeking institutional access, including travel, showcases, membership and submissions, alongside time spent maintaining relationships and managing hostility.
