Zach Bryan’s story unwinds like a movie about a guy who wants to be a star!

Zach Bryan’s story unwinds like a movie about a guy who wants to be a star. He started writing music when he was 14 and spent eight years in the United States Navy writing songs. Bryan started uploading his original music to YouTube in 2017, asking friends to film him on their phones. One of those songs, “Heading South”, went viral, and the rest is, literally, music history.

There are some things about Zach Bryan that make him a stereotypical country star, but there are lots of things that set him apart, too.

He’s collaborated with artists like Bon Iver, The Lumineers, and according to an internet rumor… John Mayer. There’s no release date, but obviously we are ready and waiting.

He has albums named after his late mother and his ex-wife. He has an album named “American Heartbreak,” and his most recent self-titled album kicks off with a poem called “Fear and Friday’s” that is deep, nostalgic, and sets the tone for the entire album. It is a glorious ride.

It’s not about the person or the place but what she and it represents. 

“Fear and Friday’s” isn’t a song. It is definitely a poem, which Bryan recites while strumming an acoustic guitar. I usually get a case of the ick when artists earnestly “get poetic”, but the rawness of Bryan’s words and voice make you feel like you just have to listen.

“This road I Know”

Here’s a short excerpt:

“There’s this flash I get off in
In a fever dream or vision of sorts
Most times late at night
And I haven’t found out why, but I know exactly why.

I’m on this road and I hear gravel underneath me and I feel it too
And I don’t know where I am, but I know exactly where I am.
It’s dark, it’s really dark
And the car is warm and somehow I can feel how cold the night is
I don’t know where the road leads, but I know exactly how it ends.

See I keep driving and all I see for the longest while is my headlights for an eternity it seems
And everything is desolate, and empty and hopeless.
I’m lost but I know where I’m going”

Bryan’s exceptional lyrics are on display throughout his entire catalog of songs as well. The wordplay in “Tourniquet”  nearly broke my heart the first time I heard it.

“So I love Kerouac and Steinbeck. I am a reader and I love poetry. Everyone always asks how I write such decent songs and it’s because I just write a lot in general. I’m going out on a limb here and showing y’all some of my real writing.”

Bryan used to sell merch that said his songs are really poems set to music, and when you hear those lovely words and that sweet guitar, you will definitely agree.

Interested in more celebrity spotlight features? Check out Kendrick Lamar’s Rap Poetry!