Kellie Pickler Teams With "Filthiest" of Partners

Kellie Pickler photo courtesy of BNA Records.

Sept. 4, 2009 — Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Martina McBride have all given a thumbs-up to the gay segments of their fan bases in the last year, but Kellie Pickler took that acceptance to another level by collaborating with an openly gay singer in New York last week.

When she opened for Taylor Swift, Kellie found the time for food with Justin Tranter, the lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons. Justin is a flamboyant glam rocker who — in the tradition of David Bowie, Poison and Boy George — tarts up with makeup before going on stage. And his press bio notes that he wears six-inch stiletto heels during his shows.

"After the show at Madison Square Garden, we went to a little restaurant and pigged out on French fries, macaroni and cheese and champagne," Kellie told Rolling Stone. "We ended up writing a song in the bathroom!"

The song is titled "Black Tears," owing its name to the color of tears shed through eyeliner. Kellie and Justin, who first met in February, worked together previously designing a necklace. Kellie, whose song "Red High Heels" is an extension of her love for fashion, is a perfect foil for Justin.

"We just clicked instantly, probably because we look like gorgeous blonde twins, both wearing five-inch heels separated at birth and raised on different planets," he told Rolling Stone. "I have the filthiest rock ‘n’ roll band in New York, and she is a Southern Belle country music princess, but we can just talk for hours like we are the same girl."