David Michael Hawkins’ ‘Sin’ Is a Pride Month Must-Listen

In a music world often defined by manufactured personas and industry polish, David Michael Hawkins stands out — raw, vulnerable, and gloriously unfiltered. His new single Sin isn’t just a ballad. It’s a confessional booth set to guitar strings. It’s the kind of song that doesn’t just ask to be heard — it asks to be felt.

David Michael Hawkins
Source: davidmichaelhawkins

Hawkins, an openly gay country singer living with HIV, released Sin during Pride Month, just ahead of National HIV Testing Day on June 27. The timing, as he puts it, was very intentional.

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“I had a really abusive childhood, I struggled with a terrible substance abuse problem, I was stigmatized by my HIV diagnosis, and I had major mental health struggles,” he told The Advocate. 

“The more I thought of my plight, the more I realized that these are unfortunately common themes within the queer community. So it made sense to release this during Pride month.”

David Michael Hawkins
Source: davidmichaelhawkins

That choice — to embrace pain and place it in public view — is as country as it gets. And Sin, with its stripped-down honesty and lyrics born  of lived trauma, fits into the tradition of “three chords and the truth” better than many of its radio-friendly contemporaries.

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Let’s be clear: Sin isn’t aimed at country radio.

“I don’t expect terrestrial country radio to pick me or play this song. It’s not meant for them,” Hawkins said. “The song is meant for queer people who hear themselves in the lyrics. It’s meant for people, like me, who were raised on country music, who can finally relate to a song they choose to stream.”

David Michael Hawkins
Source: davidmichaelhawkins
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That declaration is a shot of oxygen for LGBTQ+ folks who have spent a lifetime editing themselves to fit into spaces that never really made room for them — especially in country music.

And the track itself? Devastating. Beautiful. Unapologetic.

“Walked in the room / Told her I was shaking / Today was the day for make or breaking.”

That moment, Hawkins said, came straight from the memory of telling his mother he was getting tested for HIV.

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“I said, ‘I’m going to get tested for HIV today, and I want you to be prepared for me to come home with a positive diagnosis.’”

He did.

“Got the news / felt shame, felt guilty” ….. “Now a man on that stage, reading from that page.”

David Michael Hawkins
Source: davidmichaelhawkins
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What followed wasn’t just a diagnosis — it was a transformation. Through addiction, shame, stigma, and a long road to sobriety, Hawkins held on. Now, at 39, newly married and thriving, he’s stepping into the spotlight not as a victim, but as a survivor with a mic.

“For a decade of my life, I thought to myself on repeat, Who could love this? I am unworthy. I am too far gone to go back. Sober life can’t be worth living. It seemed hopeless,” Hawkins said. “But even then, even when I thought I was done for, there was a small ember of hope still burning in me. And when I was ready to make the change, the ember grew to an inferno.”

Hope, he insists, is the real heart of Sin.

David Michael Hawkins
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“I wrote SIN because I know there are LGBTQIA youth struggling to love themselves. I know there are addicts that think they are too far gone to change. And I know there are people with an HIV diagnosis that think no one will ever love them,” Hawkins wrote on Instagram. “I want them to know they aren’t alone, and I understand their pain. And that there is hope even at the darkest times.”

David Michael Hawkins
Source: davidmichaelhawkins

It’s more than a song. It’s a lifeline.

And it’s long overdue.

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“I realized that I was the first openly HIV-positive country artist,” Hawkins told The Advocate. “I laughed because it’s quite rare to be the first at anything, much less in a music genre with such a storied history… But my HIV story has been public far before any of my music came out. So there was no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.”

So he leaned in.

“Let’s make honest country music – no matter the fall out.”

And somehow, through all of it, he’s still funny, hopeful, and hell-bent on helping others. He travels to Pride festivals, speaks at HIV conferences, and uses his voice — on stage and off — to push the needle on stigma and silence.

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“I hope it’s relatable. I hope people enjoy the lyrics and see themselves reflected back to them. And especially for country music lovers, I hope I did their genre justice. I hope I’ve made queer country fans proud.”

David Michael Hawkins
Source: davidmichaelhawkins

David Michael Hawkins isn’t chasing mainstream approval. He’s singing directly to the queer kids who were told they weren’t country enough, Christian enough, or worthy enough.

And in doing so, he’s rewriting what it means to be a country artist — one brutally honest lyric at a time.

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Sin by David Michael Hawkins is streaming now. For more information on HIV testing and support resources, visit www.hiv.gov.

Living with HIV today is not a death sentence.

  • With modern antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV can live long, healthy lives.

  • Effective treatment also means undetectable = untransmittable (U=U) — when HIV is undetectable, it cannot be passed to sexual partners.

  • If you test negative, there are prevention options like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) to help you stay negative.

No shame. No fear. Just facts and community.
Whether you’re newly diagnosed, years into treatment, or just getting informed, you’re not alone. There’s a whole network of people — artists like Hawkins, advocates, doctors, and friends — who are here, living proof that hope always survives.

Happy Pride. Get tested. Know your status. And turn up the volume on Sin.


Source: American SongWriter

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