Released during Pride Month 2026, “American Rough” (Bloodshot) by queer singer/songwriter Andrew Sa isn’t just one of the best LGBTQ albums of this year; it’s also one of the best country albums. Possessing one of the most distinctive voices you’re likely to hear, he sings as if he were born only to croon country tunes.
Sa, who wrote or co-wrote nine of his debut album’s 10 tracks, infuses his performance with a nostalgic quality while clearly addressing contemporary romantic queer themes. It’s an unforgettable combination and one that should appeal to a broad range of listeners.
GS: What brought you to Chicago?
AS: At that time, I was living in Portland, Oregon, and I was in love. He and I both had friends in Chicago, and we both wanted something a little more exciting than the very romantic, calm life that Portland was offering us.
GS: When you got here, did you immediately connect with the music scene?
AS: When I first moved here. I was toying with the idea of jumping into a sing[er]/songwriter sort of career. But I was still very much interested in doing theater. I did a theater show at that time with a theater company that’s now defunct called Sideshow Theater Company. I did a modern retelling of “Medea.” I didn’t hook up with the music community until I started taking songwriting classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music.
GS: Your new album, “American Rough,” was released at the end of Pride Month on Bloodshot Records, a label that was founded in Chicago and was at the forefront of the alternative country scene in the 1990s. Bloodshot’s roster included notable LGBTQ artists such as Neko Case, J.B. Brooks and Laura Jane Grace. Did that play a part in your signing to Bloodshot?
AS: That’s a good question. I had loved so many of the records that had come out on Bloodshot before I even knew of the label. This was probably before I was paying attention to what label people were on. Then, of course, there’s Lydia Loveless, who’s on the label as well as being a lovely singer/songwriter. I would say no; Bloodshot was something my friend Kelly Hogan recommended.
GS: Oh, I love Hogan!
AS: Don’t we all! That voice! She and I became fast friends after we met at a music festival in Wisconsin. She had been telling me about Bloodshot. I’m really happy that I found Bloodshot and that they have embraced and championed this record to the extent that they have.
GS: “American Rough” was co-produced by queer singer/songwriter H.C. McEntire, who also co-wrote a few of the songs on the album with you, and can be heard playing on it. How did your creative relationship come about?
AS: Before we knew each other, we were interviewed separately for the same article in No Depression Magazine. It was about the intersection of queerness, cosmic country music, and astrology [laughs]. I saw her name, and I thought “McEntire. I wonder if she’s related to Reba.” Turns out she’s not. I dove into her catalog of music and fell in love with her songwriting, her poetic lyrics, and her stunningly beautiful, authentic country voice. The rest is history. My manager and I reached out to her to see if she’d be interested in producing my record. She had never produced another person’s music. She jumped in head-first. I feel like a better writer having had that experience with her.
GS: In addition to McEntire, drummer Spencer Tweedy, son of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Sue Miller of the legendary Chicago music venue Lounge Ax, is a member of the band. What can you tell the readers about working with Spencer?
AS: Oh, my goodness, what a consummate professional. When he was tracking for my record, he flew with me to North Carolina, where H.C. had already tapped a bass player and her amazing guitar player Luke Norton. Spencer rounded out the mix as the drummer. I remember talking to him on the flight down there. He hadn’t even turned 30 yet, and he said he’d already played on over 30 albums. That should give you an indication that the guy knows what he’s doing. He had played with me for some years at that point with the cosmic country showcase, so he was well-aware of my style of singing and how to best support that. Working with Spencer is a dream. For someone who comes from indie rock royalty, he’s probably the sweetest, most humble person I’ve ever met.
GS: I love the way Chicago is a presence on “American Rough.” You sing about “Sweeping Halsted like a broom” in “You Turned Me On,” and in “Fightin’ to be Fightin’,” the CTA’s Red Line gets a mention. What role does place play in your music?
AS: A lot of “American Rough” is about my sexual awakening, especially on a song like “You Turned Me On.” I do attribute that awakening to my experiences to being in the gay communities here in Chicago. This album is my experiences in Chicago to the nth degree.
GS: Queerness permeates the album from start to finish, from the mention of “the luckiest queen” in the title track and hollering like a queen in “Lavender Cowboy” to same gender steam rising from erotic songs such as “Follow,” “Your Whisper,” and “Where It Lands.” Are these songs directed to someone special in your life or someone you’d like to have in your life?
AS: Every song that you just mentioned in that string of songs is quite specifically about my fiancée, Jacob Strayer. We’ve been together for 12 years, and just recently [became] engaged.
GS: Congratulations!
AS: Thank you so much. He is the love of my life. There are so many of our personal experiences woven through all those songs you mentioned.
GS: In April of this year, the New York Times published a piece about “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters,” and included a trio of country songwriters, two of whom – Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally – are openly queer. At this time when our community is under constant threat, do you think the presence of LGBTQ musicians in the country genre has the power to change hearts and minds?
AS: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I think that it’s very possible. Everyone approaches it differently, and my approach is through tenderness. I hope to build a bridge, if I can, for people who don’t understand the queer lifestyle or my particular queer lifestyle through the music. I really hope I can offer them an in to see themselves within it and maybe recognize that we’re not so different.
GS: In October, you will be among the performers taking part in the tribute concert Souvenirs: 80 Years of John Prine. What does it mean to you to be involved in that event?
AS: Oh man, I was floored when they asked me to do that. I love John’s music, especially his lyrics. He learned how to play guitar at The Old Town School of Folk Music, so he certainly has a legacy there. I’ve worked at the front desk there for 13 years. At the beginning of my musical career here in Chicago, my good friend Dylan Matracia, who was a collaborator for a long time, we forged our way together by starting an acoustic, queer, songwriters night at Wang’s bar on Broadway. We had that show there for maybe two and a half years. Dylan’s parents asked us if we wanted to go down to Nashville to see John Prine play at The Ryman Auditorium. This might have been 2011. That experience…I was a fan ever since. He just seemed without ego, like a true troubadour. I am honored to be a part of that show, and I hope to do him proud.
