VMAN VMEN PETEY WRIGHT: THE MODEL MUSICIAN
From wrestling to modeling to music, our first VMAN Model Search winner proves he’s got the Wright stuff
Photography Santiago Sierra Styling Patrick Mackie Text Roberto Reyes
Diving headfirst into new territory is nothing unusual for Petey Wright. Take, for example, his competing in the United States Wrestling Organization as “The Wright Stuff,” always entering the ring to a New Kids on the Block theme song, or his winning
VMAN’s inaugural model search in 2008 and quickly becoming one of fashion’s top male models. Wright’s latest adventure hits closer to home: son of a songwriting father, the 22-year-old has been penning tunes in New York for the past year and periodically recording them in his native Nashville, Tennessee.
Although Wright prays at the rock altar of John Lennon—he sports “WWJLD” on the inside of his right wrist—it’s his decidedly less acclaimed influences who shape his approach to making music. Sipping a Bloody Mary, Wright remembers his first CD, a gift from his father: Hanson’s debut album. “I really like pop music a lot. The radio was fine with me, Trisha Yearwood, Shania Twain.” Unable to help himself, he breaks into the chorus of Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me Much” before continuing with his genre-hopping list of favorite musicians, which ranges from Outkast to Mumford & Sons. When asked about his own music, Wright replies, “It’s all so different. I’ve got a country song, pop, rock, a ’50s song. They’re feel-good songs. After a songs ends, I want you to be smiling, maybe cook some breakfast. I don’t want to write the song that makes you want to call your ex-boyfriend.”
But that doesn’t mean romance isn’t a major inspiration for Petey. “I write a lot about girls,” he says. “I love girls.” A waitress he met only twice inspired his song “Kara Lane.” “It’s my first ballad. My sister loves that song. That’s really all that matters to me.” Despite not having found a true romantic counterpart, even as an in-demand model, Wright confesses his desire to settle down: “I want it when I’m watching some romantic comedy and go, ‘They’re so good together!’ Then the truth sets in, and I know, yeah, I still want it.”
Because he looks like Johnny Depp in 21 Jump Street**, Wright’s sudden foray into music recalls Depp’s own early musical aspirations. If that comparison sounds like snarkiness or criticism, Wright’s candor and optimism dispel any notion that he isn’t for real. Offering reflections on subjects ranging from Justin Bieber (“He is going to be a really badass 26-year-old”) to skeptics of models turned musicians (“Oops, well, I guess it’s too late”), Wright is honest and candid—qualities that separate earnest musicians from the rest. “I would like other people to like what I’m doing. Or don’t like it. Just listen to it and give it a shot.”
Hair Tamara Mcnaughton grooming Junko Kioka using m.a.c cosmetics (creative management NYC)
Photo assistants Alessandro Zoppis and Mario Alfonso De Armas Stylist Assistants Rhiannon Hartig and Alison Daly Mazur Digital capture Chris Annis Producer Cesar Leon Co-Direction Mauricio Sierra
