Zach Bryan’s distinct brand of red-dirt lyricism and vivid, wealthy songcraft — in addition to his earnest, no-frills delivery — has made him considered one of the most popular music newcomers of the 12 months.
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Though Bryan first caught some listeners’ attention together with his self-released 2019 album DeAnn (named after his mother, who died in 2016), this Oklahoma native and Navy veteran has seen his profession surge in 2022 through streaming and live performances.
This 12 months, his RIAA platinum-certified hit “Something within the Orange” rose to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Rock and Alternative Songs and Hot Country Songs chart and is climbing the Country Airplay chart. In his nascent profession, Bryan has already earned 2.45 billion on-demand U.S. streams, in keeping with Luminate.
In 2022, he inked a take care of Warner Records (through his own Belting Bronco label), and released a double-punch of projects, with the large, 34-track album American Heartbreak after which the EP Summertime Blues. He also headlined the American Heartbreak tour, and is already slated to headline several festivals in 2023 — including Kentucky’s Railbird Festival, Wisconsin’s Summerfest, and Chicago’s Windy City Smokeout.
Below, Billboard looks at five ways Zach Bryan’s profession soared in 2022.
A Victory Lap on the Top Country Albums Chart
In June, Bryan’s American Heartbreak debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums and at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart—without the advantage of massive radio airplay (though his breakthrough single “Something within the Orange” has since been serviced to country radio, and currently ranks at No. 33 on Country Airplay after spending nine weeks atop Country Streaming Songs. In October, “Something within the Orange” was certified platinum by the RIAA, followed by “Heading South” reaching platinum status in November.
American Heartbreak lands at No. 8 on Billboard’s 12 months-End Top Country Albums chart, alongside sets from Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs, while currently holding at No. 2 on the weekly chart, just behind Wallen’s dominant Dangerous: The Double Album.
Key Performances at Stagecoach and Red Rocks
In May, Bryan performed at California’s Stagecoach Festival, with a show on the secondary Palomino stage. Fans flocked to the performance, singing every word and filling the venue with an electrical energy and artist-fan connection greater than worthy of a mainstage performance.
Just a few months later, Bryan had a snowy (and fiery) performance at Red Rocks Amphitheater on Nov. 3, when diehard fans faced frigid temps on the famed outdoor Colorado venue to see Bryan’s final show on his American Heartbreak tour — making songs reminiscent of Bryan’s “November Air” all of the more poignant.
Dominating Billboard’s Top Country Songwriters Chart
Bryan spent 25 weeks at the head of the Country Songwriters chart, a testament to his work as the only real author on “Something within the Orange,” in addition to heavy streamers “Heading South” and “Burn, Burn, Burn.”
That trajectory helped place Bryan’s own Zach Lane Bryan Publishing Designee at No. 8 on Billboard’s 12 months-End Hot Country Songs Publishers, not far behind powerhouses including Warner-Tamerlane, Sony Tree Publishing, Big Loud Mountain and Songs of Universal. Bryan also lands at No. 2 on the 12 months-End Hot Country Songwriters chart, behind songwriting kingpin Ashley Gorley.
“Songwriting is such a large a part of this,” Bryan told the Recent York Times earlier this 12 months. “In case you’re missing out on it, what the hell are you doing? You’re just performing. You’re an actor.”
His First Grammy Nomination
Bryan found himself amongst country heavyweights in November when he received his first Grammy nomination. On the Feb. 5 ceremony, “Something within the Orange” will vie for best country solo performance with tunes by Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and Willie Nelson.
After learning of his nod from the Recording Academy, Bryan shared together with his followers on social media, “thanks for the Grammy nomination. I’m truly thankful and didn’t deserve a sold-out tour or to achieve success in any respect.”
The Grammy nod followed a controversial moment earlier this 12 months, when Bryan was not amongst those nominated for this 12 months’s CMA Awards, prompting Bryan to later comment that he “won’t ever need to be considered on the CMAs.” He later clarified his comments, saying, “To be clear, I’m not attempting to insult the validity of a CMA, I respect any artist who receives one and the existence of them; I’m just saying on a private level it will not be considered one of my priorities to have awards on a shelf in my home. There’s room for more essential things there.”
A Strong 12 months-End Finish
Bryan ends 2022 on a profession high note, landing on multiple genres’ year-end charts. He ranks at No. 2 on Billboard’s all-genre 12 months-End Top Recent Artists chart. He also tops the Top Recent Country Artists and Top Recent Rock & Alternative Artists charts.
He also lands at No. 5 on Billboard’s 2022 Top Country Artists chart, behind more established hitmakers Wallen, Combs, Walker Hayes and Stapleton. Three of Bryan’s songs — “Something within the Orange,” “Oklahoma Smoke Show,” and “From Austin” — land on the 12 months-End Hot Country Songs rankings, while Bryan himself finally ends up at No. 3 on the 12 months-End Top Rock & Alternative Songs Artists chart.
His multi-genre success is a testament to the range of music he admires. He told The Recent York Times that he listens to artists starting from Turnpike Troubadours to Radiohead and Gregory Alan Isakov, and that his fans should understand that he can’t be pigeonholed: “I need to be in that Springsteen, Kings of Leon, Ed Sheeran-at-the-very-beginning space.”
