Rae Spoon Reclaims Country Music Heritage with Personal New Album
Canadian singer-songwriter Rae Spoon is making a powerful return to their musical origins with the upcoming release of their 13th studio album, Assigned Country Singer At Birth. The album, scheduled for release on April 10, 2026, represents a significant artistic homecoming for the trans non-binary artist who grew up immersed in country and gospel traditions in Calgary.
Autobiographical Exploration of Identity and Music
The album's opening track, Country Music Breaks My Heart, serves as an autobiographical journey through Spoon's complex relationship with country music. The song traces their early musical beginnings singing about Jesus at age 12 while growing up in a strict Pentecostal household in Calgary. "Because that's all that I knew," Spoon reflects about those formative years when their musical influences were limited to religious music and country traditions.
The song builds to a defiant conclusion where Spoon proclaims their rightful place in the country genre, declaring that "Anyone who can't handle that should take off their cowboy hat." This bold statement is accompanied by a music video directed by fellow Calgary expat Contra from the band Cartel Madras, featuring Spoon riding a mechanical bull while sporting their own cowboy hat.
A Return to Roots After Years of Distance
Those familiar with Spoon's career trajectory know that country music formed the bedrock of their early work, alongside gospel and rockabilly influences. However, the twang gradually disappeared from their music following the 2008 release of SuperiorYouAreInferior. For years, country music didn't feel like a safe space for a trans artist and their community, with Spoon experiencing what they describe as a "visceral reaction" to hearing country music during that period.
"The only thing I could listen to was Dolly Parton," Spoon revealed in a recent phone interview. "Everything else, I couldn't listen to it. I really cared about it, and I felt like it was somewhere that was not safe. At that point, a lot of people — even if they were from rural places — were a bit triggered by country music."
Changing Landscape and Personal Evolution
Spoon notes that the cultural landscape has shifted significantly in recent years. "It was hard to talk to queers in bigger cities or people who didn't have experience with it. People would always say, 'I like all music, except country.' It would be something people didn't like. I don't hear that as much anymore. It's so much more accepted with the crossover, like Megan Moroney."
The artist acknowledges that mainstream country festivals might not be ready for their music just yet, but expresses clear ambitions: "I don't know if Boots and Hearts music festival will book me anytime soon. I do want to play the Stampede. We are definitely gunning for the Stampede some year. Maybe not this year, but next year would be fun."
Telegraphing the Return Through Covers and New Looks
Spoon began signaling their return to country music last summer with a cover of Garth Brooks' classic Friends in Low Places. Released as a single, the cover featured Spoon in a striking new visual identity: a blue cowboy hat, pink cowboy suit, and platinum-blond hair. The song, originally about a man crashing his ex's wedding, was reimagined as a call for solidarity and belonging within queer and trans communities.
"Right now, being transgender can feel like a low place," Spoon explained at the time of the single's release, "but the song reminds us that we just have to find the other people who are also being put there."
From Health Struggles to Musical Rebirth
Assigned Country Singer At Birth follows Spoon's 2023 album Not Dead Yet, which documented their harrowing health journey after being diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2020. That album detailed how they navigated a healthcare system often ill-equipped to serve gender-variant patients while facing life-threatening health problems.
The new album represents both a musical and personal evolution, with Spoon embracing their country roots while maintaining their distinctive artistic voice. With its catchy choruses and authentic twang, the music demonstrates how country traditions can evolve to include diverse voices and experiences.
As Spoon prepares to release their most country-influenced work in nearly two decades, they stand as a testament to the genre's capacity for growth and inclusion, proving that cowboy hats and authentic self-expression can indeed coexist in today's musical landscape.
