Zach Bryan may be one of the biggest stars in today’s modern music scene, but he wants to make it clear that he isn’t solely a country music artist.
Why Zach Bryan Doesn’t Want to be Labeled as a Country Musician
In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, Zach Bryan sat down with music legend Bruce Springsteen to talk about their lives and careers. While discussing how country music has shaped them, Bryan explained that, although country music has been a huge influence, he doesn’t want to label his music as just one genre.
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“I don’t want to be a country musician,” Bryan told Springsteen. “Everyone calls me it. I want to be a songwriter, and you’re quintessentially a songwriter.”
Although Bryan’s music is often labeled as country, with two chart-topping hits (“Something in the Orange” and “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves) and a Grammy win in 2023 for Best Country Duo/Group with his Musgraves collaboration, he wants his work to be recognized for its versatility.
“No one calls Bruce Springsteen — hate to use your name in front of you — but no one calls Bruce Springsteen a freaking rock musician, which you are one, but you’re also an indie musician, you’re also a country musician,” he continued. “You’re all these things encapsulated in one man. And that’s what songwriting is.”
Springsteen backed Bryan’s perspective, agreeing that his music goes against any specific category.
“If you go and see the show, there’s so much — and I don’t want to call it rock — just energy in your performance. You bust all those different genre boundaries down,” he told Bryan.
“That’s why you’re a hero to me,” Bryan replied, “because no one’s ever come up to you and said you were in any sort of lane.”
This conversation comes shortly after the news that Zach Bryan decided not to submit any of his work for Grammy nomination consideration this year.
Earlier this month, Variety reported that Bryan chose not to submit any of his music for consideration in any category for the upcoming awards show, despite his win last year and a total of four nominations.
The reason behind this decision is reportedly that Bryan disagrees with how award shows pit artists against one another, creating an overly competitive environment in the industry.