Brothers Osborne have blazed a path for themselves in country music by being fearless both lyrically and sonically. The duo of brothers John and TJ Osborne hail from Maryland and were raised in a musical household before descending upon Music City with their rugged sound that masterfully blends John’s guitar expertise with TJ’s smooth-as-molasses voice. The brothers are just as compelling with their words outside of music—check out some of their thought-provoking quotes about art, life, individuality, and unapologetically being themselves.
[RELATED: American Songwriter September/October Cover Story: Brothers Osborne—Nothing to Hide]
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “How often, in life, do we hold back parts of ourselves and wish that we didn’t?” – John Osborne
2. “I want to get to the height of my career being completely who I am.” – TJ Osborne
3. “Instead of always kind of having the veil there, I think it’s time to remove that and lean into who we are.” – TJ Osborne
4. “At this point, my happiness is more valuable than anything else I’d ever be able to achieve.” – TJ Osborne
5. “I wouldn’t say we’ve paid much of a price, but we’ve pissed a lot of people off by being ourselves.” – John Osborne
6. “But the worst thing for creativity is to have boundaries.” – TJ Osborne
7. “If art reflects life, then it should change. Life evolves, popularity evolves, personal philosophy can evolve, and it should reflect that.” – John Osborne
8. “The musician’s role and artist’s role at the end of the day is just to give people an escape for a moment. Sometimes life can be a trial.” – John Osborne
9. “I didn’t think I’d want to talk about being gay this much. And then when I came out, there was just this calling. I wouldn’t even call it an obligation. It just felt like a purpose.” – TJ Osborne
10. “We all have a younger self in us – thank them because they got you here and take care of that person.” – John Osborne
Photo by Natalie Osborne/Courtesy of Q Prime
More Features
-
Lindsey Buckingham from the rock group Fleetwood Mac. (Photo by Robin Platzer/Getty Images) -
IN CONCERT – Shoot Date: January 15, 1974. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) BARRY WHITE -
Photo by Tucker Ranson/Archive Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images -
Local Boy Tom Cochrane is cruising on his first No. 1 hit, 'Life is A Highway', and it brought crowd to its feet at Massey Hall last night. -
English musician Brian Jones (1942-1969) of The Rolling Stones plays a sitar during a performance by the band on the set of the Associated Rediffusion Television pop music television show Ready Steady Go! at Wembley Television Studios in London on 27th May 1966. The group would perform three tracks on this edition of the show, 'I Am Waiting', 'Under My Thumb' and 'Paint It Black'. (Photo by Ivan Keeman/Redferns) -
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Photo of Bill MONROE (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
American singers Karla Devito and Meat Loaf performing on the Bat Out Of Hell Tour, USA, March 1978. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 28: Jennifer Nettles performs during the PAC NYC ICONS OF CULTURE Gala at Perelman Performing Arts Center on October 28, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC))