In a few short years, Zach Bryan has taken the country and Americana worlds by storm. And he's ready to do it again with his self-titled album.
Zach Bryan follows the wildly popular singer/songwriter's 2022 major label debut American Heartbreak, a sprawling triple album of raw country and roots songs that elevated Bryan from something of a cult favorite on the fringes of the genre to a full-blown superstar.
Bryan's latest record showcases his ever-evolving talent as both a singer and a songwriter; his singular voice shines, aching and gritty with a touch of soul and no shortage of twang. The album's 16 tracks incorporate a bit more of his own taste, too, as he taps several guests to join him on the LP, including Kacey Musgraves and The War and Treaty.
What remains most true with Zach Bryan is that the star is still doing things his own way. Bryan wrote and produced the LP himself, releasing it under his own Belting Broncos imprint in partnership with Warner Records, through whom he also signed the imprint's first artist, Levi Turner, in June.
And while Zach Bryan is likely to be a hit, the notoriously fame agnostic artist — a 2022 profile in the New York Times called him "music's most reluctant new star" — isn't concerned with sales or accolades. As he declared on social media, "I've got no grand explanation for these songs, I got no riddle in reasoning behind writing them, I don't have a bullshit roll-out plan to stuff it in front of as many people as I can. I just wrote some poems and songs that I want to share because I think they're special."
Rejection of the traditional album roll-out model is in line with Bryan's DIY ethos, the very philosophy that helped catapult him from an active duty member of the Navy to arena-packing superstar in just a few short years. Accordingly, the only press Bryan did in advance of the new LP was an interview on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. As he's done for most of his career, Bryan likes to let his music speak for itself.
As Bryan kicks off his next chapter, check out six ways Bryan is singlehandedly changing the country music industry.
He Found Success The DIY Way
Bryan is part of a new generation of country stars who built fan bases themselves before attracting the attention of the Music Row machine. He posted his earliest songs to YouTube before finding even greater success on TikTok, and released two albums independently prior to his breakout LP American Heartbreak: 2019's DeAnn, named for his late mother, and 2020's Elisabeth, named for his ex-wife. What's more, he's toured relentlessly over the years, drawing a rabid following to his lively, rowdy shows.
And that spirit hasn't seemed to wane in the wake of releasing Zach Bryan, as he wrote the following Instagram caption when sharing the record's track list: "really proud to call the writing and production on somethin' all mine, thank y'all for your patience, I didn't make this album to appease people who will never be happy anyways, I made it for my people."
He's Taken On The Ticketing Industry
Anyone who's tried to buy a concert ticket in recent years knows how difficult the secondary market has made it for regular fans to afford to see their favorite artists live. With his rabid following, Bryan would be a prime target for resellers if he hadn't taken proactive steps to ensure that tickets land in the hands of actual fans, not scalpers. For his 2023 Burn Burn Burn Tour, Bryan partnered with AXS to prevent for-profit resale, and also made sure that all tickets were reasonably priced — the most expensive ticket available cost $156, a far cry from the several hundreds of dollars fans typically have to drop on concerts now.
And if that weren't enough, in 2022 Bryan dropped a live EP called All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster, making plain how he feels about the monopoly currently controlling much of the live ticketing market.
He's A Veteran
Country music has strong ties to the military, but few modern stars have actually served in some capacity. Prior to pursuing music full time, Bryan served as an Aviation Ordnanceman in the Navy, having enlisted at the age of 17.
While serving, he completed tours in Djibouti and Bahrain, stealing pockets of free time to work on his songwriting. He soon found fans after posting music online and, after eight years of service, was honorably discharged in 2021 upon signing a record deal with Warner Records.
When announcing his discharge on social media, Bryan shared, "If it was my decision, I would never get out of the world's greatest Navy, but here I am and they kindly honorably discharged me to go play some music. Can't tell if I'm a coward or if I'm chasing a dream but regardless, the best eight years of my life were spent serving the best country in the whole damn world."
Military service runs in Bryan's family, as both his father and his late mother served in the Navy. Bryan was actually born in Japan while his father was stationed there. The family moved around throughout Bryan's young life, making him a Navy brat.
He's Maintained An Aura Of Mystery
Bryan's songs are honest and confessional, but he famously shares little about his personal life outside of what he reveals in his music. The songwriter rarely gives interviews, speaking with the media even less since seeing his star rise after the success of American Heartbreak. And most of his social media posts are about music and touring, occasionally sharing candid snaps with friends or photos of his dog, fittingly named Jack Daniel's.
Though many country stars find themselves, willingly or not, involved in the current culture wars, Bryan (so far) has managed to stay removed — with the occasional exception, like when hecalled out Travis Tritt for removing Bud Light from his tour rider in the wake of the beer brand's involvement with trans social media personality Dylan Mulvaney.
Some Of His Fan-Favorite Songs Aren't Even Officially Released
When Bryan posted the track listing for Zach Bryan on Aug. 18, many fans took to the comments to lament songs they love that didn't make the cut. The top comment on Bryan's Instagram post of the track listing reads, "zachary lane we are BEGGING for deep satin," with over three thousand likes emphasizing the sentiment.
Other fans are hoping for "Somebody," an especially raw love song that namechecks Tracy Chapman, and the wistful "Screen Door." That passion from fans for unreleased music is yet another indication that Bryan is far from your average artist.
His Powers Extend Beyond Music
Sure, Bryan can pen a hit song, but he also helped the Oakland Athletics win a baseball game.
On Aug. 21, the team was playing the Kansas City Royals and found the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning. Oakland left fielder Brent Rooker was itching to finish the game so he could head across the street to Bryan's concert at the Oakland Arena, so he took matters into his own hands, hitting a two-run homer to end the game and clinch the victory for his team. Rooker not only made it to Bryan's show, but got to join the star on stage to sing together.
Other prominent sports figures who have gotten into the action at Bryan's shows include WWE stars Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman, Oklahoma State University football coach Mike Gundy and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. And in a particularly funny, quintessentially Zach Bryan moment, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones joined him during a tour stop in Queens — but Bryan, an avowed Philadelphia Eagles fan, quickly took back the mic to yell, "Go Birds!"
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