​Queer country singer-songwriter Andrew Sa will bring his debut solo album of originals, “American Rough,” released June 26 via Bloodshot Records, to Louisville this month, playing at The Monarch alongside local musician KJ Olsen on Sept. 18.

This will be the 40-year-old California native’s first time in the Bluegrass region.

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“I’ve been having the time of my life being able to perform in other places for total strangers and have them enjoy it and buy records,” Sa said. “[People] feel seen through [my music], and that is like the greatest gift that I feel like I’m able to receive anywhere and everywhere.”

Queer people are connecting to Sa’s sound because he embodies the “Lavender Cowboy” subgenre of country music, which reimagines and challenges ideas of masculinity in country music and society at large.

The term “Lavender Cowboy” originated from a 1923 poem by American editor and publisher Harold Hersey about an unmanly cowboy “with only two hairs on his chest.” Over the years, the poem has shown up in country-western movies like Oklahoma Cyclone and has served as the foundational theme for music artists like Patrick Haggerty’s first openly queer band, “Lavender Country.”

In a tribute song to Haggerty on “American Rough,” called “Lavender Cowboy,” Sa sings:

“Lavender cowboy, stranger in your hand,

Wander the highways with your ragged angel band,

And come out singing when you can.”

Modern alpha male-centered country music is commonly known for its tackle box toting, beer guzzling, and women-objectifying lyrics—often referred to as toxic masculinity. Sa is the antithesis of this, and he says his edge is tenderness.

Rather than celebrating conventional tropes of American machismo, softness lies at the center of “American Rough.” Sa’s unique style comes through in that softness, and he draws inspiration from the women of country gold, like one of his favorites, Patsy Cline.

When Sa was about 4 years old, his mother left him with his grandparents to pursue a different life away from motherhood and a white picket fence. During drives in their town car, Sa heard Cline’s weeping vocals for the first time and instantly connected with the yearning in her voice.

“I can only imagine that I was trying to understand what it meant to be left, you know, what it meant to be relatively abandoned as a child by my mother,” he said. “I think that country does such a good job of expressing that kind of yearning, you know, loss and longing, and I was just drawn to that so young.”

Sa joked that he’s “not a bad bitch and has never been a bad bitch.” He told the producer of his 10-track LP, acclaimed indie-folk artist H.C. McEntire, that he was worried that he had no bite.

“I was entering into this arena where everyone’s posturing, and it’s all about, you know, being bad and having an attitude—especially in country music and pop country,” he said.

The late Dolly Parton once said, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose,” and Sa has done just that, with McEntire calling his tenderness his superpower. Sa said he carries Parton’s quote into his performances.

While on stage, Sa said he encourages people to let go and embrace the emotions his music evokes. On one end of the spectrum, he encourages tears. On the other end, Sa said he is a jokester and wants to make people laugh, too.

“I want them to run toward romance. I want them to lean into tenderness. Yeah, that’s what I want,” he said.

For more information on Andrew Sa, check out his website. Sa’s show at The Monarch is free and open to the public. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to make donations to the artists. The Monarch is a BYOB establishment, so come prepared!