A Country Kiki with Singer Jack Nathan Harding

Last month, country singer and actor Jack Nathan Harding released his first full-length album, Cowboys and Tattoos. A mix of old-school meets new-school meets no-school, this alt-country, toe-tapping album has been a passionate project of Harding’s.

His previous three singles, “Behind Every Smile,” “Fed Up,” and “Let’s Ride” have received over 60,000 views. Cowboys and Tattoos is available on all major streaming platforms, and we can expect a lot more from Harding in the future. He wanted this album to be fun and positive, and it looks like he got his point across. OUT FRONT caught up with Harding to chat more about Cowboys and Tattoos and what it’s like being an openly gay country singer.

Let’s begin by talking more about the release of your first full-length album, Cowboys and Tattoos. This must be very exciting for you.
Yes, it is super exciting! You know, being a man of a certain age; I’m 54; I am finding I’m having a lot of firsts, which is cool. When you get to a certain age, it’s like, oh, nothing’s new. You’ve done everything. But no! I have my first, brand-new album. It’s very exciting.

That’s amazing and a huge accomplishment! What was the inspiration and concept behind the album?
Well, my inspiration behind the album was kind of the same as my inspiration for the singles and music videos that I have been releasing over the last year, which is simply, I’m a gay dude that grew up without a gay voice in country music. So, when I decided that I was going to do these singles and this album, it was just going to be songs that I wrote from a gay man’s point of view. A lot of them are what I call dude-centric, meaning songs sung by a dude that are clearly about another dude and how he looks in his Wrangler jeans.

What was the writing process like for you, and was it challenging to put this album together?
It was challenging in some ways, but in some ways not, simply because I did not give myself parameters when I was making this album. I was just going to write the songs that felt good to me. It was one of those things I just worked on until I was through. I worked on it until I felt it was right. The songs work, and it makes me very happy. They are giving a voice to something I didn’t have in my early years. So, when I was recording it and such, I wasn’t thinking about a big picture. I feel if I can make music that I like, enjoy, and makes me happy, then hopefully it will have the same effect on other people.

How has the album been received?
Really well. No matter who it is coming from, the comments I receive are usually very much the same: ‘Thank you for making country music for me; thank you for making music that I can identify with.’

When people first listen to the album, what do you hope they feel or experience?
I hope their toes start tapping! I want this album to be about fun and love, and I have a little bit of inspiration thrown in there. It’s not too deep and not too dramatic; it’s just fun country music that’s great to scoot around the dance floor with. Get your toes tapping and hands clapping. It’s a bunch of fun.

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Is there a song on the album that you would say is your favorite and means the most to you?
Oh, that’s a tough one because I love them all. This is going to be a two-parter. “Cowboys and Tattoos” is the actual single. To me, this feels most like a song I wish I would have had growing up. It’s a very boot-scootin’, feels like a good old country bar, type of song. It is definitely dude-centric, and it’s definitely about, obviously, cowboys and tattoos. Things that I like.

But the real important one, I think, which is another dude-centric song, is called “You’re the Best Man.” It is a song I wrote for my husband for our 25th anniversary which is coming up at the beginning of next year. I had to spoil the surprise because I wanted this song on the album. It’s like, ‘I wrote this for you baby, but you’re going to have to hear it now because I got some business to do with it [laughs].’ It is a very special song for sure.

Aw, that’s so awesome. Now, out of the many genres of music out there, what specifically drew you to country?
I think country music is my jam because it’s the storytelling genre of music. It’s the genre of music where, at least to me, there’s still melody. There’s still harmony. It’s still a very basic form of music. Nowadays, you have so much crossover, and a lot of country doesn’t even sound like country, which is cool. Everybody’s got to do what they want to. Country is much more singable. You get into the stories; you see pictures in your mind. That’s just kind of what comes through me at the core.

Growing up in Texas, what was life like for you? When did you come out, and how did you go about it?
I never had, like, a big fiesta or anything for my coming out. It was more of, especially with the age I am, coming out to me was more about when me and my partner at the time, we left Odessa and moved to Dallas to work on some other jobs and things. It was more of a fresh start coming out, meaning from this point on, I’m just Jack, and this is my partner. It’s more of an honesty point in your life. I don’t even know if I could give a date when that happened. It was so long ago. For so many years, I have just been Jack, a gay dude.

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Have you encountered any challenge being an openly gay country singer?
I have not. You know, the difference between me and a lot of the other great country singers who have come out recently is that I have never had what I would call a straight audience. I have never had to say to a pre-existing audience, ‘Hey, by the way you guys, I’m gay.’ Then, of course, you gain more gay fans. I am a fan of all these guys; I’m not knocking anything, but I am still not seeing out, gay country men singing about other gay men. The music is still great.

Do you think the country music industry is changing its attitude and conservative views towards the LGBTQ community?
I think it is, but very slowly. I think there are people that put out music, and I am more speaking of record companies and things like that, they think they know what their customers want to hear or want to listen to. Things are definitely getting better in county music, and just having the visibility of those popular guys that have come out as being gay [is great]. It’s all baby steps.

However, country music is grass-rooted in very small towns. Often, [these are] the places that still linger in fear and homophobia because they are not as exposed to it as people who have moved to the city. It’s happening. A little slower than the pop music scene as far as acceptance of gay people, but I can see the little baby steps happening.

In addition to music, you are also an actor. Have you always had a passion for entertaining people?
I always have. I’m an introvert, and I think part of it for me, whether it was acting or singing, being an introvert, I find that I don’t have as much place to express myself and my feelings. Growing up gay in the Bible Belt in west Texas in the 70s, it gave me a chance to play human. To be and feel human. Because not feeling accepted as my own self, it was nice to be accepted as this other human or this other person. You know, playing a bad guy, playing things I would never do on my own.

It’s cool to inhabit this character, this person, and feel kind of free. I am the same way with music and singing a song. Whether it’s my song or any song, you are kind of jumping on this ride on a roller coaster. It is where I have found that I feel the most me. I feel that I am expressing myself.