Zach Bryan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bryan performing atCrypto.com Arena in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Zachary Lane Bryan[1] (1996-04-02)April 2, 1996 (age 29) |
| Origin | Oologah, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2017–present |
| Labels |
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Spouse | |
| Website | www |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Service years | 2013–2021 |
| Rank | Petty Officer Second Class |
| Signature | |
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Zachary Lane Bryan (born April 2, 1996) is an Americancountry singer-songwriter fromOologah, Oklahoma. After two self-produced studio albums,DeAnn (2019) andElisabeth (2020), he signed withWarner Records to release his third album andmajor label debutAmerican Heartbreak (2022), which peaked at number five on theBillboard 200 and was led by theBillboard Hot 100-top ten single "Something in the Orange". Hisself-titled fourth album (2023) debuted atop theBillboard 200, while its lead single, "I Remember Everything" (featuringKacey Musgraves), peaked atop theBillboard Hot 100,Hot Country Songs, andHot Rock & Alternative Songs charts simultaneously, also earning him aGrammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. His fifth studio album,The Great American Bar Scene (2024), peaked at number two on theBillboard 200 and spawned theBillboard Hot 100 top-ten single "Pink Skies".
Throughout his career, Bryan has won several awards, including anAcademy of Country Music Award, aGrammy Award and fourBillboard Music Awards. He has sold over 30 million albums and singles, according to theRIAA.
Bryan was born inYokosuka, Japan, where his parents were stationed as part of a U.S. Navy deployment.[2] He is the son of Dewayne Bryan and Annette DeAnn (née Mullen) Bryan, and has a sister, Mackenzie.[6] DeAnn battledalcohol abuse.[7] When Bryan was in the eighth grade, his family moved toOologah, Oklahoma.[8] His parents divorced when he was 12.[7] He started writing songs at the age of 14.[9]
Continuing a family tradition, Bryan was an active-duty member of theUnited States Navy for eight years, enlisting at the age of 17.[9] Bryan attained the rate/rating ofAviation Ordnanceman Second Class (AO2).[10] He used his spare time while in the Navy to write music for his enjoyment.[11] He finished his service in the Navy in 2021 at the age of 25 to pursue his career in music.[12]
Bryan started uploading his music toYouTube in 2017, with his friends recording him performing using hisiPhone. Bryan's first song uploaded to YouTube was the single "God Speed" which ended up being a track on his debut album.[13] Many of the songs Bryan would upload to his YouTube were written and recorded by him while serving in the Navy.[14]
Bryan uploaded 16 songs of varying popularity onto his YouTube channel before "Heading South" went viral.[11] The song was recorded outside his Navy barracks.[15]
His debut album,DeAnn, was dedicated to his late mother and released on August 24, 2019. It was written in two months and recorded with his friends in an Airbnb located in Jacksonville, Florida.[16][11] The album consisted of 12 tracks, many of which had been previously uploaded to his YouTube.
Bryan's first public concert was inMedford, Oregon, in October 2019.[17] He has since made his debut at the historicRyman Auditorium, among other noteworthy appearances.
A second album,Elisabeth, was released on May 8, 2020. He recorded the album in a repurposed barn behind his home in Washington. The album is named after his ex-wife.[18] The album contains 19 tracks, including the tracks "Heading South" and "Revival".
Bryan released his first EP,Quiet, Heavy Dreams, on November 27, 2020.[5]
On April 10, 2021, Bryan made hisGrand Ole Opry debut. He later signed a deal withWarner Records to release his music.[19]
On October 14, 2021, Bryan announced that he washonorably discharged from the U.S. Navy after eight years of service to pursue his career in music just ahead of his nationwide Fall 2021 "Ain't For Tamin' Tour".[20] He said, "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."[9]
On January 25, 2022, Bryan announced that he would release his major-label debut, a triple album,American Heartbreak, on May 20, 2022.[21] On April 22, 2022, Bryan released the hit single "Something in the Orange", which became a mainstream hit and is regarded as one of Bryan's most recognizable and identifiable songs.[22] The song was Bryan's breakthrough onto theBillboard Hot 100 debuting at position 55 on May 7, 2022, and peaking at 10.[23]
American Heartbreak debuted at number five on the U.S.Billboard 200 with over 70,000album-equivalent units, marking the biggest first week for a country album in 2022.[24] The album consisted of 34 tracks including "Something in the Orange – Z&E's Version" a more raw and acoustic version of the hit song.
On July 15, 2022, Bryan released his second EP,Summertime Blues, which featured collaboratorCharles Wesley Goodwin.[25] The EP contained nine tracks including the charting song of "Oklahoma Smokeshow" which peaked at number 75.
On September 8, 2022, Bryan released the single "Burn, Burn, Burn" followed by the single "Starved" on October 10. These were followed by the two singles "Fifth of May" and "The Greatest Day of My Life" on November 11, 2022.[26][27][28]
On December 25, 2022, he released a live album calledAll My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live from Red Rocks), recorded atRed Rocks Amphitheatre.[29][30]
Bryan's single "Something In The Orange" was nominated forBest Country Solo Performance at the65th Annual Grammy Awards marking Bryan's first careerGrammy Awards nomination.[31]
On January 27, 2023, Bryan collaborated withMaggie Rogers and released "Dawns", his first single of the year.[32] The single reached a peak of 42 on theBillboard Hot 100.[33]
In May 2023, Bryan received theAcademy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year.
On August 25, 2023, Bryan released hisself-titled fourth album.[34] It debuted at number one on theBillboard 200.[35] The album also contained Bryan's first number one single, "I Remember Everything", featuringKacey Musgraves, which debuted on theBillboard Hot 100 at the top spot.[36] All sixteen tracks of the album charted on theBillboard Hot 100 with "I Remember Everything", "Hey Driver" (featuringThe War and Treaty), "Spotless" (featuringThe Lumineers), "East Side of Sorrow", and "Tourniquet" all appearing in the top 20.[33]
On September 22, 2023, he released his third EP,Boys of Faith, which included songs featuring fellow artistsNoah Kahan andBon Iver.[37] All five tracks on the EP charted on theBillboard Hot 100 with "Sarah's Place" featuring Kahan peaking at 14.[38]
Bryan was namedBillboard's top new artist of 2023 for his increased popularity through the year, such as his first appearance at the top of both theBillboard 200 andBillboard Hot 100.[39]
At the66th Annual Grammy Awards, Bryan was nominated for three categories. His self-titled fourth album was nominated forBest Country Album. "I Remember Everything" featuring Musgraves was nominated for theBest Country Song. The song was also nominated and won theBest Country Duo/Group Performance marking Bryan's first Grammy award win of his career.[40][41]
In early 2024, Bryan began teasing and announcing his fifth studio album,The Great American Bar Scene.[42] On May 24, 2024, Bryan released the lead single from the album, "Pink Skies".[43] The single would debut at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the second highest charting single of his career up until this point.[44] Bryan released the second single from the album titled "Purple Gas" which featuredNoeline Hofmann, on June 7.[45] The album was released on July 4, 2024. It contains 19 tracks including songs featuring artists Noeline Hofmann,John Moreland,John Mayer,Bruce Springsteen, andWatchhouse.[46][47]
In early November 2024, following his breakup withBarstool Sportspodcaster Brianna LaPaglia, Bryan released two songs, "High Road" and "This World's A Giant".[48] Both songs were commercial successes; "High Road" peaked at number 28 in Canada and number 29 in the US and Ireland, while "This World's A Giant" peaked at number 32 in Ireland, number 41 in Canada, and number 49 in the US.[49][50]
On December 20, 2024, roughly two years after he releasedAll My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live from Red Rocks), Bryan released24 (Live), a compilation live album recorded during his 2024Quittin' Time Tour.[51]
Afterthe NFC divisional playoff game between thePhiladelphia Eagles and theLos Angeles Rams on January 19, 2025, which the Eagles won, Bryan announced he would release a new song, "Blue Jean Baby", if the Eagles won the2025 NFC Championship on January 26; the Eagles beat theWashington Commanders 55–23. "Blue Jean Baby" was released at midnight on January 27. In an Instagram post announcing the release of the song, Bryan promised to release an EP and an Album by the end of the year.[52] He headlinedStagecoach Festival on April 25, 2025.[53] On July 2, he released the songs "Streets of London", "River Washed Hair", and "A Song For You" as a three-song single. On July 18, he collaborated with Gabriella Rose and released “Madeline”. He released “Bowery”, a collaboration with Kings of Leon, on August 8.
On September 27, 2025, Bryan performed a concert atMichigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, breaking the record for the largest attendance at a ticketed concert by a single headlining act in the United States. He played to an announced crowd of 112,408. It was only the second concert in the 98-year history of the venue, and the first by a headlining act.[54] He broke the previous record set by George Strait on June 15, 2024, when Strait played a concert at Kyle Field at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, to 110,905 fans in attendance.[55]
In October 2025, Bryan posted a snippet of a recording of a new a song called "Bad News" with lyrics apparently critical of the tactics used by ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents deployed in cities around the country. Supporters of theDonald Trump administration were reportedly displeased with the song.[56][57] Bryan later related a statement through social media saying the intention of the song had been "misconstrued."[58] Among the ensuing controversy, Bryan has attempted to explain that the song had not intended to be partisan or "take sides."[59]
On January 9, 2026, Bryan released his sixth studio album,With Heaven on Top which debuted atop theBillboard 200 making this his second album to peak at number 1 on the chart.[60] 3 days later Bryan released a stripped-back, acoustic version of the album.[61]
In 2013, Bryan enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served as anAviation Ordnanceman in Florida as well as Washington, and served tours in Bahrain and Djibouti before receiving an honorable discharge to pursue his musical career.[62] Bryan's mother died in 2016.[7]
On September 7, 2023, he was arrested by theOklahoma Highway Patrol for obstruction inVinita, Oklahoma, and released on bail.[63][64]
Bryan completed his bachelor's degree in psychology in the fall of 2023 while touring and creating an album, fulfilling a promise made to his late mother.[65]
In 2025 Bryan purchased the former Saint Jean Baptiste Church in Lowell, Massachusetts to enable The Jack Kerouac Foundation to build a museum to honor the novelist and poet.[66] Bryan has cited Kerouac's works as an important influence in his life.
Bryan married Rose Madden in July 2020; the pair dissolved their marriage in 2021.[67] Bryan was in a relationship with Deb Peifer from 2022 until May 2023.[68]
He started dating Brianna LaPaglia, co-host of theBFFs podcast published byBarstool Sports, in July 2023.[69] Bryan announced his breakup with LaPaglia on October 22, 2024, via anInstagram Story. LaPaglia was blindsided by the breakup, as she shared in a story on her own Instagram.[70] She later claimed Bryan blocked her after the breakup,[71] and that he emotionally abused her and offered her $12 million to sign anon-disclosure agreement after the breakup.[72] In response to the breakup with LaPaglia,BFFs co-hostsDave Portnoy andJosh Richards released a song about Bryan titled "Smallest Man", which was subsequently removed from several platforms due to takedown requests from Bryan and Richards' labelWarner Music Group.[73]
In January 2026, it was announced that he had married Samantha Leonard.[74]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Yellowstone | Himself | 1 episode |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Something in the Orange" | Best Country Solo Performance | Nominated |
| 2024 | Zach Bryan | Best Country Album | Nominated |
| "I Remember Everything" | Best Country Song | Nominated | |
| Best Country Duo/Group Performance | Won |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nine Ball | Best Narrative | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Himself | Top New Artist | Won |
| Top Male Artist | Nominated | ||
| Top Hot 100 Songwriter | Nominated | ||
| Top Hot 100 Producer | Nominated | ||
| Top Streaming Songs Artist | Nominated | ||
| Top Country Artist | Nominated | ||
| Top Male Country Artist | Nominated | ||
| Top Rock Artist | Won | ||
| American Heartbreak | Top Country Album | Nominated | |
| Top Rock Album | Won | ||
| "Something in the Orange" | Top Streaming Song | Nominated | |
| Top Country Song | Nominated | ||
| Top Rock Song | Won | ||
| "I Remember Everything" | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Himself | New Male Artist of the Year | Won |
| 2024 | Artist-Songwriter of the Year | Nominated | |
| "I Remember Everything" | Music Event of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Himself | New Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2024 | "I Remember Everything" | Musical Event of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Oklahoma Smokeshow" | Male Breakthrough Video of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Himself | The Male Country Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| "I Remember Everything" | The Collaboration Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Himself | The People's Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| The Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| The New Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| "Dawns" | The Crossover Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| The Burn, Burn, Burn Tour | The Concert Tour of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Himself | The People's Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| The Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| "Pink Skies" | The Male Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| The Storyteller Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| The Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| "I Remember Everything"(with Kacey Musgraves) | Nominated | ||
| The Collaboration Song of the Year | Won | ||
| "Hey Driver" | Nominated | ||
| "Better Days"(with John Mayer) | The Crossover Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Zach Bryan | The Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| The Quittin Time 2024 Tour | The Concert Tour of the Year | Nominated |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |