Zach Bryan’s rise to fame: Mother’s heart-breaking death to Navy discharge
Zach Bryan, the Oklahoma singer-songwriter, has unexpectedly soared to fame but never dreamed he’d reach such dizzying heights.
The 28 year old is set to play three massive shows in the Phoenix Park this weekend, but he never thought he’d become a musician.
Zach was serving in the US Navy when the songs he recorded on his phone caught like wildfire on social media. For Zach, creating music served as a therapeutic outlet and a bit of a laugh with mates, but fate had grander plans for him.
He captured the hearts of many online, paving the way for his rise as country music’s newest sensation. Opening up on The Joe Rogan Experience, Zach admitted, “I thought I would be in the Navy till I died,” adding, “I never in my life envisioned being a musician, ever.”
Here, we delve into his astonishing ascent.
Navy beginnings
Zach’s journey is uniquely all-American yet international. Born in Okinawa, Japan, to his Navy-enlisted parents Dewayne and Annette Bryan, he and his elder sister MacKenzie entered the world on base.
The Bryans moved back to the US, making their home in Oologah, Oklahoma, a quaint town near Tulsa, when Zach was 12. Sadly, his parents split up, and Zach lived with his father Dewayne who had sole custody, though he maintained a strong bond with his mother Annette, who he spoke with every day.
Zach followed the family tradition and joined the Navy at 17. He served as an Aviation Ordnanceman in Florida and Washington bases.
Eventually, he was dispatched to distant locations like Bahrain and Djibouti for his military tours, where his duties included building, loading and de-arming bombs.
In his downtime, Zach penned songs, which he recorded and shared on social media. In 2019, his track ‘Going South’, recorded outside his army barracks, became a viral sensation.
Due to Zach’s burgeoning popularity, the Navy made the decision to honourably discharge him in 2021 so he could chase a music career – but Zach confessed he would have stayed if given the option. “I joined the Navy as a 17 year old kid. It’s all I lived, slept and ate for eight years… it truly made a man out of me,” Zach expressed in an Instagram post at the time.
“I ran with some big dogs, saw a few fights, out-drank the best of them, but more importantly, got to serve alongside some of the best men and women I was ever blessed enough to meet.”
Music
Zach’s music is beguilingly simple, often favouring just his voice accompanied by an acoustic guitar. However, the lyrics are deeply poetic and confessional, leading many fans to believe his songs reflect on family, love, addiction struggles and military service.
Zach independently released his debut album ‘DeAnn’ in 2019, swiftly followed by ‘Elisabeth’ the next year.
In 2021, he graced the Grand Ole Opry stage for the first time and inked a deal with Warner Records. The next year saw his album ‘American Heartbreak’ drop, earning both commercial success and critical praise.
Not only did he climb the charts, but he also started racking up awards. Come 2023, he bagged the Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year.
His fourth album, simply titled ‘Zach Bryan’, catapulted him into the limelight later that same year.
It soared to the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart, and his duet with country sweetheart Kacey Musgraves, ‘I Remember Everything’, hit number one as well. This track even snagged a Grammy.
His fifth offering, ‘The Great American Bar Scene’, boasted some stellar collaborations, featuring guitar maestro John Mayer and Zach’s idol Bruce Springsteen.
Despite his tunes regularly ruling the country charts, he confided in Bruce that he doesn’t see himself as just a country artist. “I want to be a songwriter,” he expressed on the Rolling Stone’s ‘Musicians On Musicians’ podcast.
Amidst all his professional triumphs, Zach remains down-to-earth, admitting to battling imposter syndrome, “I never in a million years thought I would become a songwriter because I never thought I had the talent.”
Family life
Back in 2016, Zach faced the heartbreaking loss of his mum Annette at the age of 49 when he was merely 20. He often referred to her as his best friend.
“She knew me better than I knew myself, and better than anyone will ever know me,” he shared in a heartfelt post at the time.
His debut album, ‘DeAnn’, is a tribute to his mother, and Zach opened up to The New York Times about her unwavering support despite her battles with alcoholism. “She was an Oklahoma sweetheart, homecoming queen cheerleader, like a small-town freaking famous person almost.”
In a heartwarming turn of events in 2023, Zach honoured a vow he made to his mum by earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology amidst his hectic touring schedule.
Zach’s father Dewayne is his number one supporter, managing his Facebook fan community and he is regularly spotted amongst the audience at his son’s jam-packed gigs. His bond with his sister MacKenzie, who is a comedian, is equally strong.
When trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney faced harsh online backlash for featuring in a Bud Light advert, Zach appeared to stand by her, sharing on X, “I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be.”
He later explained to Joe Rogan that his sister’s partner was trans, emphasising that his stance was also a show of solidarity with his family.
Love life
Zach was married to Rose Elisabeth Madden, though not much is known about their relationship. His sophomore album, ‘Elisabeth’, bears her name, and its cover once displayed a snapshot of the pair sharing a rooftop picnic, which Zach decided to take down last summer.
Following the end of his marriage in 2021, Zach entered a relationship with Deb Peifer, which lasted about a year before he took to Instagram to announce their parting.
In the year 2023, he was linked to TikTok sensation and Barstool Sports podcaster Brianna ‘Chickenfry’ LaPaglia. Brianna even joined Bryan on stage during a gig.
However, in October, they decided to go their separate ways.
