- Daniel Pitout is a Toronto-based composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist who is well known as the drummer for Nu Sensae which he formed with Andrea Lukic in 2008
- Despite his wide acclaim, he is speculated to be the face behind the fringed-masked singer Orville Peck
- Pitout and Peck found success in Canada yet, they both trace their birth to South Africa
Daniel Pitout is a South African-born composer, singer, and drummer/guitarist. Outside of his solo work, he is instrumental in the work of Eating Out and also drums for Nu Sensae, a Vancouver-based band that he started.
Ever since he launched his career with Nu Sensae in 2008, he has steadily moved to become a well-known artist. Pitout became the primary suspect in unveiling the identity of the masked singer, Orville Peck who released his self-produced debut album Pony in 2019. Here is all we found out about Daniel Pitout.
Is Daniel Pitout Also Orville Peck?
Since the emergence of the masked Toronto-based singer Orville Pecks in 2019 with his Pony, many wondered about the real person behind the mask. There were many speculations about him till connections between Pitout and Peck were made.
First Daniel and Peck are both artists based in Toronto and had been born elsewhere before coming to make their mark in Canada. As it is, Pitout was born in South Africa just like his speculated alias. Peck is said to be born in South Africa and grew up in Johannesburg till the age of 15 when he relocated. He made reference to growing up north of Sophiatown in one of his songs, Kalahari Down. Notably, Sophiatown is located in South Africa bringing it close to Daniel Pitout’s place of birth.
Furthermore, Daniel has praised his supposed masked version in different instances. So far, the two are said to have similar tattoos which has led to the conclusion that they are the same person. To cement the speculation that Pitout and Peck are the same people, Peck revealed that he joined a West End show as well as join a punk band. As of now, Daniel has not confirmed his identity to be the same as Orville.
At the moment Orville has not revealed why he sings with a mask on even though he projects it as being part of theatrics and not for hiding. Yet, this has only added to the bubble behind the mystery man.
Elusive Facts About Daniel Pitout
1. He was born In South Africa
Daniel Pitout traces his early life to South Africa where he was born and raised before he moved to Canada in 2002. His parents whom he has not revealed their names had an impact on his musical career as his father was a sound engineer that worked with AC/DC.
As to having siblings, he grew up with a brother whom he has not shared details about. Pitout has also not revealed the details about his early life yet Orville his alias is known to have been encouraged by his father to try his hands on the acoustic guitar which he did without any assistance. Next, he took ballet classes for twelve years before landing roles in musical theatre performances.
Moreso, he is said to have received formal training when he attended the London Academy of Music and Drama in his mid 20’s.
2. How old is Daniel Pitout
Many sources speculate his date of birth to be January 6, 1988. As per these sources, the Toronto-based composer is currently 36 years old.
While this is not verified, it falls close to it since he is reported to have been 15 in 2002, the year he moved to Canada.
3. The South African-born launched his Music career in 2008
Despite starting his life in South Africa, he found wide acclaim after launching his career in 2008 as a member of Nu Sensae. The Canadian-based punk and grunge band is the brainchild of Daniel and Andrea Lukic.
The band which was initially a duo was later joined by guitarist Brody McKnight. Nu Sensae released many singles and EPs before their first album, TV, Death and the Devil was released in 2010 to the admiration of many fans and followers.
Despite enjoying wide coverage from their first album, it took them another two years to release their second album after which the band went on a hiatus.
Pitout has other projects ranging from music credits in movies to songwriting credits as well as work with other bands. He is credited with work in Hunx Private Room, Ice Cream Truckers, and Scream.
4. Daniel Pitout Is an openly gay Punk Musician
In the entertainment world, many hide their sexual orientation and prefer to maintain neutrality. As for Pitout, this is not the case since he lives his life both on and off stage as a gay man.
Infact, he named the band Eating Out and decided to front the band despite being gay. So far, Pitout appeared in many publications of gay magazines. As to his relationships, he keeps it quiet. Yet, he once revealed that he dated a man named Seth who posted pictures of his genitals on Twitter.
5. Daniel Pitout worked as a nude model in the past
The celebrated singer and composer tried his hands at different things before pursuing music fully. He worked as a nude model for magazines at some point in his life.
That experience may have influenced his open acceptance of going nude though he hardly takes off his clothes now. He also revealed in an interview that he has slept with many of the gay guys in the punk scene. In his view, Copenhagen has the hottest boys.
6. He spends more money on music videos than on song recording
One of Pitout’s many enduring attributes is his admiration for movies that were made in the 90s. He always finds a way of bringing this into his music videos.
For the shooting of That’s My Man, the theme leaned heavily on the concept. This is not surprising as he once revealed that he grew up watching Clueless, Can’t Hardly Wait, and Wayne’s World which serve as a guide for him.
In fact, he allegedly spent more money on the music video for Eating Out than he would ever spend for the recording of any song.
7. His first West End show was in 2016
Over the years, taking on Broadway or any trendy musical has become a ‘thing’ among musicians. As of this writing, the Nu Sensae drummer has not made a Broadway debut but he did his first feature in 2016.
He appeared as a replacement in the London West End’s show Peter Pan Goes Wrong. The show which ran from October 21 2016 to January 29, 2017, was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New comedy.
8. His Alias Orville Peck self released his debut album
Orville Peck’s debut album Pony is said to have been produced by the singer in 2019. At the time he was living with his parents and had to work from a coffee shop because he did not have a studio.
While this may be a deflection away from Pitout who is already established, Pitout is credited with some of the songs on the album. Moreso, Peck performed Take You Out and Dead of Night on Q which created a path for him on CBC Radio a year later.
As it is he also introduced his sound to a large audience when he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in January 2020. Orville collaborated with other artists in his rise to the top. The award-winning singer released his second album Bronco in April 2022. He is the winner of the:
- Tom of Finland Foundation-Cultural Icon Award(20220
- Libera Awards-Best Country album, Breakthrough Artist(2020)
9. The Toronto Based musician is an HIV/AIDS advocate
As it is, the talented musician whose identity is closely tied to Orville Peck is also into awareness campaigns and support for HIV/AIDS. He is the founder of the AIDS Day Music Project.
See Also: Daniela Romo- Bio, Net Worth, 7 Amazing Facts about the Singer
10. How much is Daniel Pitout’s net worth?
For now, most sources quote it to be more than $1 million though he has not verified it. Yet, it’s likely that Daniel has such an amount going by his career as a composer, singer, and instrumentalist.
He reportedly spends his fortune on things like housing. This came up after he bought a Beachwood Canyon house worth $1.7 million. The said house has an ownership pedigree running from John Frusciante to Jennifer Nicholson, the daughter of Jack Nicholson.
