by Molly Reeves
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I don’t really deserve any of it, but it’s been an absolute blast.” If you’re a country music fan (and haven’t been living under a rock), then you might have heard about Zach Bryan and his catchy songs about love and loss. Bryan is still relatively new to the music scene, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the most popular country music act of 2023. A military brat (and later Navy vet), Bryan was born in Japan, where his parents were stationed overseas, and grew up in Oklahoma. Being no stranger to hard work, Bryan started uploading his original songs to Twitter in 2017. His track, “Heading South,” became a viral hit.
Unsigned, Zach Bryan began working on his debut album, DeAnn, (named after his late mother), which he recorded entirely in an Airbnb in Florida before releasing it independently in August of 2019. His second album, Elisabeth, followed in May 2020. While these albums garnered Bryan a following, he was still relatively unknown. He made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2021, signing with Warner Brothers Music shortly after and retiring from the Navy after serving eight years. Now on a major label, Bryan got to work on his next album, American Heartbreak, which would catapult him into the mainstream.
Upon its release, American Heartbreak (2022) debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 charts, going platinum three times, with the most significant first-week sales of any country album in 2022. “Something in the Orange,” released as a single, hit number 10 on Billboard in its 38th week. Zach Bryan has released a few singles since his last album, including Dawns (2023), featuring Maggie Rogers, which now has over 88 million streams.
Zach Bryan recently announced his new self-titled album, Zach Bryan, released on August 25 of this year, with 16 tracks featuring The Lumineers and Kacey Musgraves. Bryan says of his next album that he doesn’t care about people liking his music, saying, “This one [album] was for me, I do not care if you like it.” Zach Bryan is said to be a very personal and autobiographical album, one that will leave fans content. Fans are sure to be in for a treat with Bryan’s latest album and the next chapter in his career.
Keep up with Zach Bryan on his official website!
*Cover photo by Samuel Elkins/Warner Brothers.