Across a trilogy of EPs and their recent debut album, the “non-binary cowboy” August Ponthier has been on a steady crusade of musical self-interrogation. Their artistry, meanwhile, remains pointed at the same people it always has: anyone who’s ever felt slightly out of place.
August Ponthier knows who the fuck they are. Across a trilogy of EPs, the Texas-born, self-proclaimed “cowboy” has been on a steady crusade of musical self-interrogation. By the time their open-hearted debut album Everywhere Isn’t Texas arrived in February, they had come out as non-binary. The 10-track record traces their queer coming-of-age set against the taut conservatism of their home state. August drags that tension through twanging guitars, blown-out indie rock and flashes of polished pop, shapeshifting country storytelling into an unbuttoned-shirt, tie-off kind of looseness.
Now based in New York, tours with Bleachers and The Japanese House have placed them firmly on the map, with Sir Elton John and Brandi Carlile among their early champions. August and their flame-red shaghave quickly become one of alt-pop’s most distinct new arrivals. The music, meanwhile, remains pointed at the same people it always has: anyone who’s ever felt slightly out of place.
What’s your earliest memory of music having an effect on you?
I went to a small, religious school when I was little, and I found myself on the periphery often as a quiet child. To my surprise, I got a solo at the Christmas pageant to “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” When I sang, it was the first time I felt like a room really paid attention to me, and that I could fight through my fears to perform. I’ve been doing that ever since.
What does it mean to you to be original?
To be original is to completely follow your own north star. I always ask myself: Who would I be if I could be anything? Who would I be if no one was watching? That’s what I’m always trying to chisel away at. Whether it’s music, my inner world, or gender. We have to take away what isn’t us and see what’s left.
When did you last get in trouble?
I spill drinks on people who make my friends uncomfortable on the dance floor. I would say sorry, but…
What’s turning you on creatively right now?
Older country music that gives a huge middle finger to what people think country music always was. There’s this false narrative that country music can’t be a progressive genre, when that wasn’t the case for a long time. Whether it’s John Prine singing against weaponising religion or Loretta Lynn talking about “The Pill” in 1975, I love listening to storytelling music for a great cause.
What’s been your greatest act of artistic rebellion?
After years of performing with a different name and identity, I finally came out as non-binary in October 2025. I had to reintroduce the world to myself, something I’m still doing, in order to be who I actually am in every facet of my life. I knew the possibilities: it could be confusing to my current listeners, controversial to those who are not affirming of trans and non-binary identity, and, most of all, it could throw myself into an unknown world I hadn’t yet gotten to live in. But it was clear what I had to do. If people don’t “get it,” I won’t miss them. And now I get to be August Ponthier: non-binary cowboy.
WONDERLAND SUMMER 2026. GUEST EDITED BY MILEY CYRUS. SHOP NOW.
Photography Mario Sorrenti
Chief Creative Officer & Styling Alastair McKimm
Words Ella Bardsley
Hair Bob Recine
Make-up Diane Kendal
Set Design Philipp Haemmerle
Executive Producer Dana Brockman
Producer Max Bonbrest
Casting Alexandra Antonova for Samuel Ellis Scheinman
Lighting Technician Lars Beaulieu
1st Photo Assistant Kotaro Kawashima
Photo Assistants Paolo Afante, Kurt Mangum
Digital Tech Charles Meyer
Fashion Assistants Taylor Wood, Kassidy Taylor
Hair Assistant Jeelan Aleem
Make-up Assistants Eduardo Jiminez, Breanna Harmon
Set Assistants Oscar Haemmerle, Xavier Mozejewski
Production Assistant Din Morris